Frontispiece 


Through  Five  Republics 
on  Horseback 


BEING  AN  ACCOUNT  OF  MANY  WANDERINGS 
IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


BY 

G.  WHITFIELD  RAY,  F.  R.  G.  S. 

Pioneer  Missionary  and  Government  Explorer 


With  an  Introduction  by  the  Rev.  J.  G.  Brown,   D   D- 

Secrctary  for  the  Foreign  Missions  of  ttie  Canadian  Baptist  Cburcb 


THIRTEENTH  EDITION— REVISED 


EVANGELICAL  PUBLISHING    HOUSE 

C.  HAUSER,  Agent 

CLEVELAND,  OHIO,  U.   S.  A. 
1915 


SOUTH 
AMERICA. 


^ 


PREFACE 


The  Missionary  Review  of  the  World  has 
described  South  America  as  The  Darkest  Land. 
That  I  have  been  able  to  penetrate  into  part  of 
its  unexplored  interior,  and  visit  tribes  of  people 
hitherto  untouched  and  unknown,  was  urged  as 
sufficient  reason  for  the  publishing  of  this  work. 
In  perils  oft,  through  hunger  and  thirst  and 
fever,  consequent  on  the  many  wanderings  in 
unhealthy  climes  herein  recorded,  the  writer 
wishes  publicly  to  record  his  deep  thankfulness 
to  Almighty  God  for  His  unfailing  help.  If  the 
accounts  are  used  to  stimulate  missionary  enter- 
prise, and  if  they  give  the  reader  a  clearer 
conception  of  and  fuller  sympathy  with  the  con- 
ditions and  needs  of  those  South  American 
countries,  those  years  of  travel  will  not  have 
been  in  vain. 

"  Of  the  making  of  books  there  is  no  end,"  so 
when  one  is  acceptably  received,  and  commands 
a  ready  sale,  the  author  is  satisfied  that  his  labor 
is  well  repaid.  The  4th  edition  was  scarcely  dry 
when  the  Consul-General  of  the  Argentine  Re- 
public at  Ottawa  ordered  a  large  number  of 
copies  to  send  to  the  members  of  his  Government. 

Seeing  that  there  is  such  an  alarming  ignor- 
ance regarding  Latin  America,  I  have,  for  this 
edition,  written  an  Introductory  Chapter  on 
South  America,  and  also  a  short  Foreword  espe- 
cially relating  to  each  of  the  Five  Republics  here 
treated.  G.  W.  R. 

Toronto,  Ont.  „ 


INTRODUCTION 


"Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback*' 
has  all  the  elements  of  a  great  missionary  book. 
It  is  written  by  an  author  who  is  an  eye-witness 
of  practically  all  that  he  records,  and  one  who 
by  his  explorations  and  travels  has  won  for 
himself  the  title  of  the  "  Livingstone  of  South 
America."  The  scenes  depicted  by  the  writer  and 
the  glimpses  into  the  social,  political  and  re- 
ligious conditions  prevailing  in  the  Republics  in 
the  great  Southern  continent  are  of  thrilling  in- 
terest to  all  lovers  of  mankind.  We  doubt  if  there 
is  another  book  in  print  that  within  the  compass 
of  three  hundred  pages  begins  to  give  as  much 
valuable  information  as  is  contained  in  Mr.  Ray's 
volume.  The  writer  wields  a  facile  pen,  and 
every  page  glows  with  the  passion  of  a  man  on 
fire  with  zeal  for  the  evangelization  of  the  great 
"  Neglected  Continent."  We  are  sure  that  no  one 
can  read  this  book  and  be  indifferent  to  the 
claims  of  South  America  upon  the  Christian 
Church  of  this  generation. 

9 


Introduction, 

Of  course,  this  volume  will  have  interest  for 
others  besides  missionary  enthusiasts.  Apart 
from  the  religious  and  missionary  purpose  of  the 
book,  it  contains  very  much  in  the  way  of  geo- 
graphical, historical  and  scientific  information, 
and  that,  too,  in  regard  to  a  field  of  which  as  yet 
comparatively  little  is  known.  The  writer  has 
kept  an  open  mind  in  his  extensive  travels,  and 
his  record  abounds  in  facts  of  great  scientific 
value. 

We  have  known  Mr.  Ray  for  several  years  and 
delight  to  bear  testimony  to  his  ability  and  faith- 
fulness as  a  preacher  and  pastor.  As  a  lecturer 
on  his  experiences  in  South  America  he  is  unex- 
celled. We  commend  "  Through  Five  Republics 
on  Horseback "  especially  to  parents  who  are 
anxious  to  put  into  the  hands  of  their  children 
inspiring  and  character-forming  reading.  A  copy 
of  the  book  ought  to  be  in  every  Sunday  School 
Library. 

J.  G.  Beown. 

626  Confederatlom  Life  Building,  Toronto. 


10 


A  PRELIMINARY  WORD   ON 
SOUTH  AMERICA 


The  Continent  of  South  America  was  dis- 
covered by  Spanish  navigators  towards  the  end 
of  the  fifteenth  century.  When  the  tidings  of  a 
new  world  beyond  the  seas  reached  Europe, 
Spanish  and  Portuguese  expeditions  vied  with 
each  other  in  exploring  its  coasts  and  sailing  up 
its  mighty  rivers. 

In  1494  the  Pope  decided  that  these  new  lands, 
which  were  nearly  twice  the  size  of  Europe, 
should  become  the  possession  of  the  monarchs  of 
Spain  and  Portugal.  Thus  by  right  of  conquest 
and  gift  South  America  with  its  seven  and  a 
half  million  miles  of  territory  and  its  millions 
of  Indian  inhabitants  was  divided  between  Spain 
and  Portugal.  The  eastern  northern  half,  now 
called  Brazil,  became  the  possession  of  the  Portu- 
guese crown  and  the  rest  of  the  continent  went 
to  the  crown  of  Spain.  South  America  is  4,600 
miles  from  north  to  south,  and  its  greatest 
breadth  from  east  to  west  is  3,500  miles.  It  is 
a  country  of  plains  and  mountains  and  rivers. 
The  Andean  range  of  mountains  is  4,400  miles 
long.  Twelve  peaks  tower  three  miles  or  more 
above  ocean  level,  and  some  reach  into  the  sky 

11 


A  Preliminary  Word  on  South  America, 

for  more  than  four  miles.  Many  of  these  are 
burning  mountains;  the  volcano  of  Cotopaxi  is 
three  miles  higher  than  Vesuvius.  Its  rivers  are 
among  the  longest  in  the  world.  The  Amazon, 
Orinoco  and  La  Plata  systems  drain  an  area  of 
3,686,400  square  miles.  Its  plains  are  almost 
boundless  and  its  forests  limitless.  There  are 
deserts  where  no  rain  ever  falls,  and  there  are 
stretches  of  coast  line  where  no  day  ever  passes 
without  rain.  It  is  a  country  where  all  climates 
can  be  found.  As  the  northern  part  of  the  con- 
tinent is  equatorial  the  greatest  degree  of  heat 
is  there  experienced,  while  the  south  stretches  its 
length  toward  the  Pole,  Quito,  the  capital  of 
Ecuador,  is  on  the  equator,  and  Punta  Arenas, 
in  Chile,  is  the  southernmost  town  in  the  world. 
For  hundreds  of  years  Spain  and  Portugal  ex- 
ploited and  ruled  with  an  iron  hand  their  new 
and  vast  possessions.  Their  coffers  were  enriched 
by  fabulous  sums  of  gold  and  treasure,  for  the 
wildest  dream  of  riches  indulged  in  by  its  dis- 
coverers fell  infinitely  short  of  the  actual  reality. 
Large  numbers  of  colonists  left  the  Iberian  penin- 
sula for  the  newer  and  richer  lands.  The  greater 
number  of  the  colonists  were  men  from  Spain  and 
Portugal.  They  did  not  scruple  to  take  wives 
and  concubines  of  the  Indian  tribes,  and  soon  a 
distinct  race  of  South  Americans  began  to  ap- 
pear. Towns  and  cities  grew  up  everywhere. 
This  new  people  did  not  relish  the  tyranny  and 
greed  of  the  old  countries  across  the  seas.  Spain 
and  Portugal  were  piling  up  riches  wrung  from 
them,  so  ideas  of  freedom  from  kingly  rule  began 

12 


Preliminary  Word  on  South  Amenca. 

to  take  root  in  the  hearts  of  the  people,  and  before 
the  year  1825  the  Spanish  colonies  had  risen 
against  the  mother  country  and  had  formed  them- 
selves into  several  independent  republics,  while 
three  years  before  that  the  independence  of  Brazil 
from  Portugal  had  been  declared.  At  the  present 
day  no  part  of  the  vast  continent  is  ruled  by 
either  Spain  or  Portugal,  but  ten  independent 
republics  have  their  different  flags  and  govern- 
ments. 

Since  its  early  discovery  South  America  has 
been  pre-eminently  a  country  of  bloodshed.  Ke- 
volution  has  succeeded  revolution  and  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  the  bravest  have  been  slain,  but, 
phoenix-like,  the  country  rises  from  its  ashes. 

Fifty  millions  of  people  now  dwell  beneath  the 
Southern  Cross  and  speak  the  Portuguese  and 
Spanish  languages,  and  it  is  estimated  that,  with 
the  present  rate  of  increase,  180  millions  of 
people  will  speak  these  languages  by  1920. 

South  America  is,  pre-eminently,  the  coming 
continent.  It  is  more  thinly  settled  than  any 
other  part  of  the  world.  At  least  six  million 
miles  of  its  territory  are  suitable  for  immigrants 
— double  the  available  territory  of  the  United 
States.  "  No  other  tract  of  good  land  exists  that 
is  so  large  and  so  unoccupied  as  South  America."* 
"  One  of  the  most  marvellous  of  activities  in  the 
development  of  virgin  lands  is  in  progress.  It  is 
greater  than  that  of  Siberia,  of  Australia,  or  the 
Canadian  North-West."  t    Emigrants  are  pour- 

*Dr.  Wood,  Lima.  Peru,  In  "Protestant  Missions  In  Boutb 
America." 

tThe  Outlook,  March,  1908. 

13 


A  Preliminary  Word  on  South  America. 

ing  into  the  continent  from  crowded  Europe,  the 
old  order  of  things  is  quickly  passing  away,  and 
docks  and  railroads  are  being  built.  Bolivia  is 
spending  more  than  fifty  million  dollars  in  new 
work.  Argentina  and  Chile  are  pushing  lines  in 
all  directions.  Brazil  is  preparing  to  penetrate 
her  vast  jungles,  and  all  this  means  enormous 
expense,  for  the  highest  points  and  most  difficult 
construction  that  have  ever  been  encountered  are 
found  in  Peru,  and  between  Chile  and  Argentina 
there  has  been  constructed  the  longest  tunnel  in 
the  world.* 

The  economic  possibilities  of  South  America 
cannot  be  overestimated.  It  is  a  continent  of 
vast  and  varied  possibilities.  There  are  still  dis- 
tricts as  large  as  the  German  Empire  entirely 
unexplored,  and  tribes  of  Indians  who  do  not  yet 
know  that  America  has  been  "discovered." 

This  is  a  continent  of  spiritual  need,  for  even  yet : 
"Nearly  7,000,000  of  people  in  South  America  still 
adhere,  more  or  less  openly,  to  the  fetishisms  of 
their  ancestors,  while  perhaps  double  that  number 
live  altogether  beyond  the  reach  of  Christian  influ- 
ence, even  if  we  take  the  word  Christian  in  its 
widest  meaning."!  The  Rev.  W.  B.  Grubb,  a  mis- 
sionary in  Paraguay,  says:  "The  greatest  unex- 
plored region  at  present  known  on  earth  is  there. 
It  contains,  as  far  as  we  know,  300  distinct  Indian 
nations,  speaking  300  distinct  languages,  and 
numbering  some  millions,  all  in  the  darkest  heath- 
enism." H.  W.  Brown,  in  "Latin  America,"  says, 
"There  is  a  pagan  population  of  four  to  five  mil- 
lions." 

*One  railway  ascends  to  the  height  of  12,800  feet. 
fEeport  of  Senor  F.  de  Castello. 
14 


PART  I. 


THE 


ARGENTINE  REPUBLIC 


The  country  to    which   the  author  first  went  as  a  self- 
supporting  missionary  in  the  year  1889. 


And  Nature,  the  old  nurse,  took 

The  child  upon  her  knee. 
Saying,  "  Hero  is  a  story  book 

Thy  Father  hath  written  for  thee." 

**  Come,  wander  with  me,"  she  said, 
"  Into   regions  yet  untrod, 
And  read  what  is  still  unreadi 
In  the  manuscripts  of  God." 

And  he  wandered  away  and  away 
With  Nature,  the  dear  old  nurse, 

"Who  sung  to  him  night  and  day 
The  rhymes  of  the  universe. 

—Longfellow. 


15 


THE   ARGENTINE   REPUBLIC 


TwB  Argentine  Republic  has  an  area  of  one 
and  a  quarter  million  square  miles.  It  is  2,600 
miles  from  north  to  south,  and  500  miles  at  its 
widest  part.  It  is  twelve  times  the  size  of  Great 
Britain.  Although  the  population  of  the  country 
is  about  seven  millions,  only  one  per  cent,  of  its 
cuitivable  area  is  now  occupied,  yet  Argentina 
has  an  incomparable  climate. 

It  is  essentially  a  cattle  country.  She  is  said 
to  surpass  any  other  nation  in  her  numbers  of 
live  stock.  The  Bovril  Co.  alone  kills  100,000  a 
year.  On  its  broad  plains  there  are  estancias,  or 
cattle  ranches,  of  fifty  and  one  hundred  thousand 
acres  in  extent,  and  on  these  cattle,  horses  and 
sheep  are  herded  in  millions.  Argentina  has  over 
twenty-nine  million  cattle,  seventy-seven  million 
sheep,  seven  and  a  half  million  horses,  five  and  a 
half  million  mules,  a  quarter-million  of  donkeys. 
and  nearly  three  million  swine  and  three  million 
goate.  Four  billion  dollars  of  British  capital  are 
Invested  in  the  country. 

Argentina  has  sixteen  thousand  miles  of  rail- 
way.   This   has   been    comparatively   cheap    to 

16  . 


The  Argentine  Republic. 

build.  On  the  flat  prairie  lands  the  rails  are  laid, 
and  there  is  a  length  of  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  miles  without  a  single  curve. 

Three  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  square  miles 
of  this  prairie  is  specially  adapted  to  the  growing 
of  grain.  In  1908-9  the  yield  of  wheat  was 
4,920,000  tons.  Argentina  has  exported  over 
three  million  tons  of  wheat,  over  three  million 
tons  of  corn,  and  one  million  tons  of  linseed,  in 
one  year,  while  "  her  flour  mills  can  turn  out 
700,000  tons  of  flour  a  year."* 

"It  is  a  delight  often  met  with  there  to  look 
on  a  field  of  twenty  square  miles,  with  the  golden 
ears  standing  even  and  close  together,  and  not  a 
weed  nor  a  stump  of  a  tree  nor  a  stone  as  big  as 
a  man's  fist  to  be  seen  or  found  in  the  whole 
area." 

"  To  plant  and  harvest  this  immense  yield  the 
tillers  of  the  ground  bought  nine  million  dollars 
of  farm  implements  in  1908.  Argentina's  record 
in  material  progress  rivals  Japan's.  Argentina 
astonished  the  world  by  conducting,  in  1906,  a 
trade  valued  at  five  hundred  and  sixty  million 
dollars,  buying  and  selling  more  in  the  markets 
of  foreign  nations  than  Japan,  with  a  population 
of  forty  millions,  and  China,  with  three  hundred 
millions."! 

To  this  Land  of  Promise  there  is  a  large  immi- 
gration. Nearly  three  hundred  thousand  have 
entered  in  one  single  year.  About  two  hundred 
thousand  have  been  going  to  Buenos  Ayres,  the 
capital,  alone,  but  in  1908  nearly  five  hundred 

•Hirst's  Argentina,   1910. 

tJobn  Barrett,  In  Munsey's  Magazine. 
17 


The  Argentine  Republic. 

thousand  landed  there.*  In  Belgium  220  people 
are  crowded  into  the  territory  occupied  by  one 
person  in  Argentina,  so  yet  there  is  room.  Albert 
Hale  says :  "  It  is  undeniable  that  Argentina  can 
give  lodgment  to  100,000,000  people,  and  can 
furnish  nourishment,  at  a  remarkably  cheap  rate, 
for  as  many  more,  when  her  whole  area  is 
utilized." 

Argentina's  schools  and  universities  are  the 
best  in  the  Spanish-speaking  world.  In  Buenos 
Ayres  you  will  find  some  of  the  finest  school 
buildings  in  the  world,  while  4,000  students 
attend  one  university. 

Buenos  Ayres,  founded  in  1580,  is  to-day  the 
largest  city  in  the  world  south  of  the  equator, 
and  is  "  one  of  the  richest  and  most  beautiful 
places  of  the  world."  The  broad  prairies  around 
the  city  have  made  the  people  "  the  richest  on 
earth." 

Bev.  John  F.  Thompson,  for  forty-five  years  a 
resident  of  that  country,  summarizes  its  char- 
acteristics in  the  following  paragraph:  "Argen- 
tina is  a  land  of  plenty;  plenty  of  room  and 
plenty  of  food.  If  the  actual  population  were 
divided  into  families  of  ten  persons,  each  would 
have  a  farm  of  eight  square  miles,  with  ten 
horses,  fifty-four  cows,  and  one  hundred  and 
eighty-six  sheep,  and  after  they  had  eaten  their 
fill  of  bread  they  would  have  half  a  ton  of  wheat 
and  corn  to  sell  or  send  to  the  hungry  nations." 

•"Despite  the  Government's  efforts,  emigration  from  Spain 
to  South  America  takes  alarming  proportions.  In  some  dis- 
tricts the  men  of  the  working  classes  have  departed  in  a  body. 
In  certain  villages  In  the  neighborhood  of  Cadiz  there  aro 
whole  Btreots  of  deserted  houses." — Spanish  Press. 

18 


THROUGH    FIVE    REPUBLICS    ON 
HORSEBACK 


CHAPTER  I. 

BUENOS  AYRES  IN  1889. 

In  the  year  1889,  after  five  weeks  of  ocean 
tossing,  the  steamer  on  which  I  was  a  passenger 
anchored  in  the  River  Plate,  off  Buenos  Ayres. 
Nothing  but  water  and  sky  was  to  be  seen,  for 
the  coast  was  yet  twenty  miles  away,  but  the 
river  was  too  shallow  for  the  steamer  to  get 
nearer.  Large  tugboats  came  out  to  us,  and 
passengers  and  baggage  were  transhipped  into 
them,  and  we  steamed  ten  miles  nearer  the  still 
invisible  city.  There  smaller  tugs  awaited  us 
and  we  were  again  transhipped.  Sailing  once 
more  toward  the  land,  we  soon  caught  sight  of 
the  Argentine  capital,  but  before  we  could  sail 
nearer  the  tugs  grounded.  There  we  were 
crowded  into  flat-bottomed,  lug-sailed  boats  for 
a  third  stage  of  our  landward  journey.  These 
boats  conveyed  us  to  within  a  mile  of  the  city, 
when  carts,  drawn  by  five  horses,  met  us  in  the 

19 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

surf  and  drew  us  on  to  the  wet,  shingly  beach. 
There  about  twenty  men  stood,  ready  to  carry 
the  females  on  their  backs  on  to  the  dry,  sandy 
shore,  where  was  the  customs  house.  The  popu- 
lation of  the  city  we  then  entered  was  about  six 
hundred  thousand  souls. 

After  changing  the  little  gold  I  carried  for 
the  greasy  paper  currency  of  the  country,  I 
started  out  in  search  of  something  to  eat.  Even- 
tually I  found  myself  before  a  substantial  meal. 
At  a  table  in  front  of  me  sat  a  Scotsman  from 
the  same  vessel.  He  had  arrived  before  me 
(Scotsmen  say  they  are  always  before  the  Eng- 
lishmen) and  was  devouring  part  of  a  leg  of 
mutton.  This,  he  told  me,  he  had  procured,  to 
the  great  amusement  of  Boniface,  by  going  down 
on  all  fours  and  haa-ing  like  the  sheep  of  his 
native  hills.  Had  he  waited  until  I  arrived  h« 
might  have  feasted  on  lamb,  for  my  voice  was  not 
so  gruff  as  his.  He  had  unconsciously  asked  for  an 
old  sheep.  I  think  the  Highlander  in  that  in- 
stance regretted  that  he  had  preceded  th« 
Englishman. 

How  shall  I  describe  the  metropolis  of  the 
Argentine,  with  its  one-storied,  flat-roofed 
houses,  each  with  grated  windows  and  centre 
patio?  Some  of  the  poorer  inhabitants  raise 
fowls  on  the  roof,  which  gives  the  house  a  barn- 
yard appearance,  while  the  iron-barred  windows 
below  strongly  suggest  a  prison.  Strange  yet 
attractive  dwellings  they  are,  lime-washed  in 
various  colors,  the  favorite  shades  seeming  to  be 
pink  and  bottle  green.  Fires  are  not  used  except 
for  cooking  purposes,  and  the  little  smoke  they 


The  Argentine  Republic* 

give  out  is  quickly  dispersed  by  the  breezes  from 
the  sixty-mile- wide  river  on  which  the  city  stands. 
The  Buenos  Ayres  of  1889  was  a  strange  place, 
with  its  long,  narrow  streets,  its  peculiar  stores 
and  many-tongued  inhabitants.  There  is  the 
dark-skinned  policeman  at  the  corner  of  each 
block  sitting  silently  on  his  horse,  or  galloping 
down  the  cobbled  street  at  the  sound  of  some 
revolver,  which  generally  tells  of  a  life  gone  out. 
Arriving  on  the  scene  he  often  finds  the  culprit 
flown.  If  he  succeeds  in  riding  him  down  (an 
action  he  scruples  not  to  do),  he,  with  great 
show,  and  at  the  sword's  point,  conducts  him  to 
the  nearest  police  station.  Unfortunately  he  often 
chooses  the  quiet  side  streets,  where  his  prisoner 
may  have  a  chance  to  buy  his  freedom.  If  he 
pays  a  few  dollars,  the  poor  vigilante  is  perfectly 
willing  to  lose  him,  after  making  sometimes  the 
pretence  of  a  struggle  to  blind  the  lookers-on,  if 
there  be  any  curious  enough  to  interest  them- 
selves. This  man  in  khaki  is  often  "the  terror 
of  the  innocent,  the  laughing-stock  of  the  guilty." 
The  poor  man  or  the  foreign  sailor,  if  he  stagger 
ever  so  little,  is  sure  to  be  "  run  in."  The  Argen- 
tine law-keeper  (?)  is  provided  with  both  sword 
and  revolver,  but  receives  small  remuneration, 
and  as  his  salary  is  often  tardily  paid  him,  he 
augments  it  in  this  way  when  he  cannoi  see  a 
good  opportunity  of  turning  burglar  or  some- 
thing worse  on  his  own  account.  When  he  is  low 
in  funds  he  will  accost  the  stranger,  begging  a 
cigarette,  or  inviting  himself  at  your  expense  to 
the  nearest  cafe,  as  "  the  day  is  so  unusually 
hot"   After  all,  we  must  not  blame  him  too  mach 

21 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

— ^his  superiors  are  far  from  guiltless,  and  he 
knows  it.  When  Minister  Toso  took  charge  of 
the  Provincial  portfolio  of  Finance,  he  exclaimed, 
"  G-o!  Todos  van  robando  menos  yo!"  ("  Every- 
body is  robbing  here  except  I.")  It  is  public  news 
that  President  Celman  carried  away  to  his  pri- 
vate residence  in  the  country  a  most  beautiful  and 
expensive  bronze  fountain  presented  by  the  in- 
habitants of  the  city  to  adorn  the  principal 
plaza*  The  president  is  elected  by  the  people 
for  a  term  of  three  years,  and  invariably  retires 
a  rich  man,  however  poor  he  may  have  been  when 
entering  on  his  office.  The  laws  of  the  country 
may  be  described  as  model  and  Christian,  but 
the  carrying  out  of  them  is  a  very  different 
matter. 

Some  of  the  laws  are  excellent  and  worthy  of 
our  imitation,  such  as,  for  example,  the  one 
which  decrees  that  bachelors  shall  be  taxed. 
Civil  elections  are  held  on  Sundays,  the  voting 
places  being  Roman  Catholic  churches. 

Both  postmen  and  telegraph  boys  deliver  on 
horseback,  but  such  is  the  lax  custom  that  every- 
thing will  do  to-morrow.  That  fatal  word  is  the 
first  the  stranger  learns — manana. 

Comparatively  few  people  walk  the  streets. 
"  No  city  in  the  world  of  equal  size  and  popula- 
tion can  compare  with  Buenos  Ayres  for  the 
number  and  extent  of  its  tramways."t  A  writer 
in  the  Financial  News  says :  "  The  proportion 
of  the  population  who  daily  use  street-cars  is 


*Publlo  SQuare. 
tTumer'a   "Argentina." 


22 


The  Argentine  Republic. 

siooty-six  times  greater  in  Buenos  Ayres  than  in 
the  United  Kingdom" 

This  Modern  Athens,  as  the  Argentines  love  to 
term  their  city,  has  a  beautiful  climate.  For 
perhaps  three  hundred  days  out  of  every  year 
there  is  a  sky  above  as  blue  as  was  ever  seen  in 
Naples. 

The  natives  eat  only  twice  a  day — at  10.30 
a.m.,  and  at  7  p.m. — the  common  edibles  costing 
but  little.  I  could  write  much  of  Buenos  Ayres, 
with  its  carnicerias,  where  a  leg  of  mutton  may 
be  bought  for  20  cts.,  or  a  brace  of  turkeys  for 
40  cts.;  its  almacenes,  where  one  may  buy  a 
pound  of  sugar  or  a  yard  of  cotton,  a  measure 
of  charcoal  (coal  is  there  unknown)  or  a  large 
sortibrero,  a  package  of  tobacco  (leaves  over  two 
feet  long)  or  a  pair  of  white  hemp-soled  shoes  for 
your  feet — all  at  the  same  counter.  The  customer 
may  further  obtain  a  bottle  of  wine  or  a  bottle 
of  beer  (the  latter  costing  four  times  the  price 
of  the  former)  from  the  same  assistant,  who 
sells  at  different  prices  to  different  customers. 

There  the  value  of  money  is  constantly 
changing,  and  almost  every  day  prices  vary. 
What  to-day  costs  |20  to-morrow  may  be  |15, 
or,  more  likely,  |30.  Although  one  hundred  and 
seventy  tons  of  sugar  are  annually  grown  in  the 
country,  that  luxury  is  decidedly  expensive.  I 
have  paid  from  12  cts.  to  30  cts.  a  pound.  Oat- 
meal, the  Scotsman's  dish,  has  cost  me  up  to  50 
cts.  a  pound. 

Coming  again  on  to  the  street  you  hear  the 
deafening  noises  of  the  cow  horns  blown  by  the 
street-car  drivers,  or  the  pescador  shrilly  inviting 

23 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

housekeepers  to  buy  the  repulsive-looking  red 
fish,  carried  over  his  shoulder,  slung  on  a  thick 
bamboo.  Perhaps  you  meet  a  beggar  on  horse- 
back (for  there  wishes  are  horses,  and  beggars 
do  ride),  who  piteously  whines  for  help.  This 
steed-riding  fraternity  all  use  invariably  the 
same  words:  "For  el  amor  de  Dios  dame  un 
centavo!"  ("For  the  love  of  God  give  me  a 
cent.")  If  you  bestow  it,  he  will  call  on  his 
patron  saint  to  bless  you.  If  you  fail  to  assist 
him,  the  curses  of  all  the  saints  in  heaven  will 
fall  on  your  impious  head.  This  often  causes 
such  a  shudder  in  the  recipient  that  I  have  known 
him  to  turn  back  to  appease  the  wrath  of  the 
mendicant,  and  receive  instead — a  blessing. 

It  is  not  an  uncommon  sight  to  see  a  black- 
robed  priest  with  his  hand  on  a  boy's  head  giving 
him  a  benediction  that  he  may  be  enabled  to  sell 
his  newspapers  or  lottery  tickets  with  more 
celerity. 

The  National  Lottery  is  a  great  institution, 
and  hundreds  keep  themselves  poor  buying 
tickets.  In  one  year  the  lottery  has  realized  the 
sum  of  13,409,143.57.  The  Government  takes 
forty  per  cent,  of  this,  and  divides  the  rest  be- 
tween a  number  of  charitable  and  religious 
organizations,  all,  needless  to  say,  being  Roman 
Catholic.  Amongst  the  names  appear  the  follow- 
ing: Poor  Sisters  of  St.  Joseph,  Workshop  of 
Our  Lady,  Sisters  of  St.  Anthony,  etc. 

Little  booths  for  the  sale  of  lottery  tickets  are 
erected  in  the  vestibules  of  some  of  the  churches, 
and  the  Government,  in  this  way,  repays  the 
church.  „. 


The  Argentine  RepMhlic. 

The  gambling  passion  is  one  of  Argentina's 
greatest  curses.  Tickets  are  bought  by  all,  from 
the  Senator  down  to  the  newsboy  who  ventures 
his  only  dollar. 

You  meet  the  water-seller  passing  down  the 
street  with  his  barrel  cart,  drawn  by  three  or 
four  horses  with  tinkling  bells,  dispensing  water 
to  customers  at  five  cents  a  pail.  The  poorer 
classes  have  no  other  means  of  procuring  this 
precious  liquid.  The  water  is  kept  in  a  corner  of 
the  house  in  large  sun-baked  jars.  A  peculiarity 
of  these  pots  is  that  they  are  not  made  to  stand 
alone,  but  have  to  be  held  up  by  something. 

At  early  morning  and  evening  the  milkman 
goes  his  rounds  on  horseback.  The  milk  he 
carries  in  six  long,  narrow  cans,  like  inverted 
sugar-loaves,  three  on  each  side  of  his  raw-hide 
saddle,  he  himself  being  perched  between  them 
on  a  sheepskin.  In  some  cans  he  carries  pure 
cream,  which  the  jolting  of  his  horse  soon  con- 
verts into  butter.  This  he  lifts  out  with  his 
hands  to  any  who  care  to  buy.  After  the  addition 
of  a  little  salt,  and  the  subtraction  of  a  little 
buttermilk,  this  manteca  is  excellent.  After  serv- 
ing you  he  will  again  mount  his  horse,  but  not 
until  his  hands  have  been  well  wiped  on  its  tail, 
which  almost  touches  the  ground.  The  other 
canFj  of  the  lechero  contain  a  mixture  known  to 
him  alone.  I  never  analyzed  it,  but  have  re- 
marked a  chalky  substance  in  the  bottom  of  my 
glass.  He  does  not  profess  to  sell  pure  milk; 
that  you  can  buy,  but,  of  course,  at  a  higher  price, 
from  the  pure  milk  seller.  In  the  cool  of  the 
afternoon  he  will  bring  round  his  cows,  with  bells 

25 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

on  their  necks  and  calves  dragging  behind.  The 
calves  are  tied  to  the  mothers'  tails,  and  wear  a 
muzzle.  At  a  sh-h  from  the  sidewalk  he  stops 
them,  and,  stooping  down,  fills  your  pitcher 
according  to  your  money.  The  cows,  through 
being  born  and  bred  to  a  life  in  the  streets,  are 
generally  miserable-looking  beasts.  Strange  to 
add,  the  one  milkman  shoes  his  cows  and  the 
other  leaves  his  horse  unshod.  It  is  not  custom- 
ary in  this  country  for  man's  noble  friend  to 
wear  more  than  his  own  natural  hoof.  A  visit 
to  the  blacksmith  is  entertaining.  The  smith,  by 
means  of  a  short  lasso,  deftly  trips  up  the  animal, 
and,  with  its  legs  securely  lashed,  the  cow  must 
lie  on  its  back  while  he  shoes  its  upturned 
hoofs. 

Many  and  varied  are  the  scenes.  One  is  struck 
by  the  number  of  horses,  seven  and  eight  often 
being  yoked  to  one  cart,  which  even  then  they 
sometimes  find  difficult  to  draw.  Some  of  the 
streets  are  very  bad,  worse  than  our  country 
lanes,  and  filled  with  deep  ruts  and  drains,  into 
which  the  horses  often  fall.  There  the  driver 
will  sometimes  cruelly  leave  them,  when,  after 
his  arm  aches  in  using  the  whip,  he  finds  the 
animal  cannot  rise.  For  the  veriest  trifle  I  have 
known  men  to  smash  the  poor  dumb  brute's  eyes 
out  with  the  stock  of  the  whip,  and  I  have  been 
very  near  the  Police  Station  more  than  once 
when  my  righteous  blood  compelled  me  to  inter- 
fere. Where,  oh,  where  is  the  Society  for  the  Pre- 
vention of  Cruelty  to  Animals?  Surely  no  suf- 
fering creatures  under  the  sun  cry  out  louder 
for  mercy  than  those  in  Argentina? 

26 


The  Argentine  Republic 

As  I  have  said,  horses  are  left  to  die  in  the 
public  streets.  It  has  been  my  painful  duty  to 
pass  moaning  creatures  lying  helplessly  in  the 
road,  with  broken  limbs,  under  a  burning  sun, 
suffering  hunger  and  thirst,  for  three  consecutive 
days,  before  kind  death,  the  sufferer's  friend,  re- 
leased them.  Looking  on  such  sights,  seeing 
every  street  urchin  with  coarse  laugh  and  brutal 
jest  jump  on  such  an  animal's  quivering  body, 
stuff  its  parched  mouth  with  mud,  or  poke  sticks 
into  its  staring  eyes,  I  have  cried  aloud  at  the 
injustice.  The  policeman  and  the  passers-by  have 
only  laughed  at  me  for  my  pains. 

In  my  experiences  in  South  America  I  found 
cruelty  to  be  a  marked  feature  of  the  people.  If 
the  father  thrusts  his  dagger  into  his  enemy,  and 
the  mother,  in  her  fits  of  rage,  sticks  her  hairpin 
into  her  maid's  body,  can  it  be  wondered  at  if 
the  children  inherit  cruel  natures?  How  often 
have  I  seen  a  poor  horse  fall  between  the  shafts 
of  some  loaded  cart  of  bricks  or  sand!  Never 
once  have  I  seen  his  harness  undone  and  willing 
hands  help  him  up,  as  in  other  civilized  lands. 
No,  the  lashing  of  the  cruel  whip  or  the  knife's 
point  is  his  only  help.  If,  as  some  religious 
writers  have  said,  the  horse  will  be  a  sharer  of 
Paradise  along  with  man,  his  master,  then  those 
from  Buenos  Ayres  will  feed  in  stalls  of  silver 
and  have  their  wounds  healed  by  the  clover  of 
eternal  kindness.     "  God  is  Love." 

I  have  said  the  streets  are  full  of  holes.  In 
justice  to  the  authorities  I  must  mention  the  fact 
that  sometimes,  especially  at  the  crossings,  these 
are  filled  up.    To  carry  truthfulness  still  further, 

27 


Through  Five  Republics  on  HorselacTc. 

koweyer,  I  must  state  that  more  than  once  I  have 
known  them  bridged  over  with  the  putrefying 
remains  of  a  horse  in  the  last  stages  of  decom- 
position. I  have  seen  delicate  ladies,  attired  in 
Parisian  furbelows,  lift  their  dainty  skirts, 
attempt  the  crossing — and  sink  in  a  mass  of 
corruption,  full  of  maggots. 

In  my  description  of  Buenos  Ayres  I  must  not 
omit  to  mention  the  large  square,  black,  open 
hearses  so  often  seen  rapidly  drawn  through  the 
streets,  the  driver  seeming  to  travel  as  quickly  as 
he  can.  In  the  centre  of  the  coach  is  the  coflfln, 
made  of  white  wood  and  covered  with  black 
material,  fastened  on  with  brass  nails.  Around 
this  gruesome  object  sit  the  relatives  and  friends 
of  the  departed  one  on  their  journey  to  the 
chacarita,  or  cemetery,  some  six  miles  out  from 
the  centre  of  the  city.  Cemeteries  in  Spanish 
America  are  divided  into  three  enclosures.  There 
is  the  "  cemetery  of  heaven,"  "  the  cemetery  of 
purgatory,"  and  "  the  cemetery  of  hell."  The 
location  of  the  soul  in  the  future  is  thus  seen  to 
be  dependent  on  its  location  by  the  priests  here. 
The  dead  are  buried  on  the  day  of  their  death, 
when  possible,  or,  if  not,  then  early  on  the  fol- 
lowing morning;  but  never,  I  believe,  on  feast 
days.  Those  periods  are  set  apart  for  pleasure, 
and  on  important  saint  days  banners  and  flags 
of  all  nations  are  hung  across  the  streets,  or 
adorn  the  roofs  of  the  flat-topped  houses,  where 
the  washing  is  at  other  times  dried. 

After  attending  mass  in  the  early  morning  on 
these  days,  the  people  give  themselves  up  to 
a  life  of  ease  at  home,  or  crowd  the  street-cars 

28 


The  Argentine  Repuhlic. 

running  to  the  parks  and  suburbs.  Many  with 
departed  relatives  (and  who  has  none?)  go  to 
the  chacarita,  and  for  a  few  pesos  bargain  with 
the  black-robed  priest  waiting  there,  to  deliver 
their  precious  dead  out  of  Purgatory.  If  he  sings 
the  prayer  the  cost  is  double,  but  said  to  be  also 
doubly  efficacious.  Mothers  do  not  always  in- 
spire filial  respect  in  their  offspring,  for  one 
young  man  declared  that  he  "wanted  to  get  his 
mother  out  of  Purgatory  before  he  went  in." 

As  many  as  100,000  people  have  been  counted 
going  through  the  gateways  of  one  cemetery  on 
one  Sunday  afternoon.  The  dead  are  not  buried, 
but  caskets  are  placed  in  hermetically  sealed 
niches.  On  the  doors  of  these  niches  are  hung 
wreaths  of  flowers  and  frequently  a  photo  of  the 
departed  one. 

Buenos  Ayres  at  the  Present  Time. 

Perhaps  no  city  of  the  world  has  grown  and 
progressed  more  during  this  last  decade  than  the 
city  of  Buenos  Ayres.  To-day  passengers  land 
in  the  centre  of  the  city  and  step  on  "  the  most 
expensive  system  of  artificial  docks  in  all 
America,  representing  an  expenditure  of  seventy 
million  dollars." 

To  this  city  there  is  a  large  emigration.  It  has 
grown  at  the  rate  of  4,000  adults  a  week,  with  a 
birthrate  of  1,000  a  week  added.  The  population 
is  now  fast  climbing  up  to  1  1-2  millions  of  in- 
habitants. There  are  300,000  Italians,  100,000 
Spaniards,  a  colony  of  20,000  Britishers,  and,  of 
course,  Jews  and  other  foreigners  in  proportion. 
"  Buenos  Ayres  is  one  of  the  most  cosmopolitan 

29 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

cities  of  the  world.  There  are  189  newspapers, 
printed  in  almost  every  language  of  the  globe. 
Probably  the  only  Syrian  newspaper  in  America, 
The  Assudk,  is  issued  in  this  city."  To  keep  pace 
with  the  rush  of  newcomers  has  necessitated  the 
building  of  30,000  houses  every  year.  There  is 
here  "  the  finest  and  costliest  structure  ever 
built,  used  exclusively  by  one  newspaper,  the 
home  of  La  Prensa;  the  most  magnificent  opera 
house  of  the  western  hemisphere,  erected  by  the 
government  at  the  cost  of  ten  million  dollars; 
one  of  the  largest  banks  in  the  world,  and  the 
handsomest  and  largest  clubhouse  in  the 
world."*  The  entrance  fee  to  this  club  is  |1,500. 
The  Y.M.C.A.  is  now  erecting  a  commodious 
building,  for  which  |200,000  has  already  been 
raised,  and  there  is  a  Y.W.C.A.,  with  a  member- 
ship of  five  hundred.  Dr.  Clark,  in  "  The 
Continent  of  Opportunity,"  says,  "  More  million- 
aires live  in  Buenos  Ayres  than  in  any  other 
city  of  the  world  of  its  size.  The  proportion  of 
well-clothed,  well-fed  people  is  greater  than  in 
American  cities,  the  slums  are  smaller,  and  the 
submerged  classes  less  in  proportion.  The  con- 
stant movement  of  carriages  and  automobiles 
here  quite  surpasses  that  of  Fifth  Avenue."  The 
street  cars  are  of  the  latest  and  most  improved 
electric  types,  equal  to  any  seen  in  New  York  or 
London,  and  seat  one  hundred  people,  inside  and 
out.  Besides  these  there  is  an  excellent  service 
of  motor  cabs,  and  tubes  are  being  commenced. 
Level  crossings  for  the  steam  roads  are  not  per- 

*John  Barrett,  in  Munsey's  Magazine. 

30 


The  Argentine  Republic, 

mitted  in  the  city  limits,  so  all  trains  run  over 
or  under  the  streets. 

"  The  Post  Office  handles  40,000,000  pieces  of 
mail  and  125,000  parcel  post  packages  a  month. 
The  city  has  1,209  automobiles,  27  theatres  and 
50  moving  picture  shows.  Five  thousand  vessels 
enter  the  port  of  Buenos  Ayres  every  year,  and 
the  export  of  meat  in  1910  was  valued  at 
131,000,000.  No  other  section  of  the  world 
shows  such  growth."* 

The  city,  once  so  unhealthy,  is  now,  through 
proper  drainage,  "the  second  healthiest  large 
city  of  the  world."  The  streets,  as  I  first  saw 
them,  were  roughly  cobbled,  now  they  are  asphalt 
paved,  and  made  into  beautiful  avenues,  such  as 
would  grace  any  capital  of  the  world.  Avenida 
de  Mayo,  cut  right  through  the  old  city,  is  famed 
as  being  one  of  the  most  costly  and  beautiful 
avenues  of  the  world. 

On  those  streets  the  equestrian  milkman  is  no 
longer  seen.  Beautiful  sanitary  white-tiled 
tamhos,  where  pure  milk  and  butter  are  sold, 
have  taken  his  place.  The  old  has  been  trans- 
formed and  PROGRESS  is  written  everywhere. 

•C.  H.  Furlong,  In  The  V7"orlcl'a  "Worlt 


31 


CHAPTER  II. 

REVOLUTION, 

South  Ambeioa,  of  all  lands,  has  been  most 
torn  asunder  by  war.  Revolutions  may  be 
numbered  by  hundreds,  and  the  slaughter  has 
been  incredible.  Even  since  the  opening  of  the 
year  1900,  thirty  thousand  Colombians  have  been 
slain  and  there  have  been  dozens  of  revolutions. 
Darwin  relates  the  fact  that  in  1832  Argentina 
underwent  fifteen  changes  of  government  in  nine 
months,  owing  to  internal  strife,  and  since  then 
Argentina  has  had  its  full  share. 

During  my  residence  in  Buenos  Ayres  there 
occurred  one  of  those  disastrous  revolutions 
which  have  from  time  to  time  shaken  the  whole 
Republic.  The  President,  Don  Juarez  Celman, 
had  long  been  unpopular,  and,  the  mass  of  the 
people  being  against  him,  as  well  as  nearly  half 
of  the  standing  army,  and  all  the  fleet  then 
anchored  in  the  river,  the  time  was  considered 
ripe  to  strike  a  blow. 

On  the  morning  of  July  26,  1890,  the  sun  rose 
upon  thousands  of  stern-looking  men  bivouacking 
in  the  streets  and  public  squares  of  the  city.  The 
revolution  had  commenced,  and  was  led  by  one 
of  the  most  distinguished  Argentine  citizens, 
General  Joseph  Mary  Campos.  The  battle-cry 
of  these  men  was  "  Sangrel  Sangrel  "*  The  war 

•"Blood!  Blood  I"  go 


The  Argentine  Republic. 

fiend  stalked  forth.  Trenches  were  dug  in  the 
streets.  Guns  were  placed  at  every  point  of 
vantage.  Men  mounted  their  steeds  with  a  care- 
less laugh,  while  the  rising  sun  shone  on  their 
burnished  arms,  so  soon  to  be  stained  with  blood. 
Battalions  of  men  marched  up  and  down  the 
streets  to  the  sound  of  martial  music,  and  the 
low,  flat-roofed  housetops  were  quickly  filled  with 
sharpshooters. 

The  Government  House  and  residence  of  the 
President  was  guarded  in  all  directions  by  the 
2nd  Battalion  of  the  Line,  the  firemen  and  a  de- 
tachment of  police,  but  on  the  river  side  were 
four  gunboats  of  the  revolutionary  party. 

The  average  South  American  is  a  man  of  quick 
impulses  and  little  thought  The  first  shot  fired 
by  the  Government  troops  was  the  signal  for  a 
fusilade  that  literally  shook  the  city.  Kifle  shots 
cracked,  big  guns  roared,  and  shells  screaming 
overhead  descended  in  all  directions,  carrying 
death  and  destruction.  Street-cars,  wagons  and 
cabs  were  overturned  to  form  barricades.  In 
the  narrow,  straight  streets  the  carnage  was 
fearful,  and  blood  soon  trickled  down  the  water- 
courses and  dyed  the  pavements.  That  morning 
the  sun  had  risen  for  the  last  time  upon  six  hun- 
dred strong  men;  it  set  upon  their  mangled 
remains.  Six  hundred  souls!  The  Argentine 
soldier  knows  little  of  the  science  of  "  hide  and 
seek  "  warfare.  When  he  goes  forth  to  battle, 
it  is  to  fight — or  die.  Of  the  future  life  he  unfor- 
tunately thinks  little,  and  of  Christ,  the  world's 
Redeemer,  he  seldom  or  never  hears.  A  soldier's 
life  is  not  one  of  the  most  elevating.    He  is  trained 

33 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

to  thoughts  of  murder  and  devastation.  Fortu- 
nately he  is  doomed  to  pass  out  with  the  rest  of 
barbarism  as  the  world  advances. 

The  average  Argentine  soldier  is  a  man  of  little 
intelligence.  The  regiments  are  composed  of 
Patagonian  Indians  or  semi-civilized  Guaranis, 
mixed  with  all  classes  of  criminals  from  the  state 
prisons.  Nature  has  imprinted  upon  them  the 
unmistakable  marks  of  the  savage — -sullen, 
stupid  ferocity,  indifference  to  pain,  bestial  in- 
stincts. As  for  his  fighting  qualities,  they  more 
resemble  those  of  the  tiger  than  of  the  cool,  brave 
and  trained  soldier.  When  his  blood  is  roused, 
fighting  is  with  him  a  matter  of  blind  and  indis- 
criminate carnage  of  friend  or  foe.  A  more 
villainous-looking  horde  it  would  be  difficult  to 
find  in  any  army.  The  splendid  accoutrements 
of  the  generals  and  superior  officers,  and  the  glit- 
tering equipments  of  their  chargers,  offer  a  vivid 
contrast  to  the  mean  and  dirty  uniforms  of  the 
troops. 

During  the  day  the  whole  territory  of  the 
Republic  was  declared  to  be  in  a  state  of  siege. 
Business  was  at  a  complete  standstill.  The 
stores  were  all  closed,  and  many  of  them  firtified 
with  the  first  means  that  came  to  hand.  Mat- 
tresses, doors,  furniture,  everything  was  re- 
quisitioned, and  the  greatest  excitement  prevailed 
in  commercial  circles  generally.  All  the  gun- 
makers'  shops  had  soon  been  cleared  of  their 
contents,  which  were  in  the  hands  of  the  ad- 
herents of  the  revolution. 

That  evening  the  news  of  the  Insurrection  was 
flashed  by  "  Reuter's  "  to  all  parts  of  the  civilized 

34 


The  Argentine  Republic. 

world.     The  following  appeared  in  one  of  the 
largest  British  dailies: 

"Buenos  Ayres,  July  27,  5.40  p.m. 

"  The  fighting  in  the  streets  between  the  Gov- 
ernment troops  and  the  insurgents  has  been  of 
the  most  desperate  character. 

"  The  forces  of  the  Government  have  been 
defeated. 

"  The  losses  in  killed  and  wounded  are  esti- 
mated at  1,000. 

"  The  fleet  is  in  favor  of  the  Revolutionists. 

"  Government  house  and  the  barracks  occupied 
by  the  Government  troops  have  been  bombarded 
by  the  insurgent  artillery." 

That  night  as  I  went  in  and  out  of  the  squads 
of  men  on  the  revolutionary  side,  seeking  to  do 
some  acts  of  mercy,  I  saw  many  strange  and 
awful  sights.  There  were  wounded  men  who  re- 
fused to  leave  the  field,  although  the  rain  poured. 
Others  were  employed  in  cooking  or  ravenously 
eating  the  dead  horses  which  strewed  the  streets. 
Some  were  lying  down  to  drink  the  water  flowing 
in  the  gutters,  which  water  was  often  tinged  with 
human  blood,  for  the  rain  was  by  this  time  wash- 
ing away  many  of  the  dark  spots  in  the  streets. 
Others  lay  coiled  up  in  heaps  under  their  soaking 
ponchos,  trying  to  sleep  a  little,  their  arms 
stacked  close  at  hand.  There  were  men  to  all 
appearances  fast  asleep,  standing  with  their  arms 
in  the  reins  of  the  horses  which  had  borne  them 
safely  through  the  leaden  hail  of  that  day  of 
terror.  Numerous  were  the  jokes  and  loud  was 
ttie  coarse  laughter  of  many  who  next  day  would 

o5 


Through  Five  Republics  on  EorsehaoTc. 

be  lying  stiff  in  death,  but  little  thought  seemed 
to  be  expended  on  that  possibility. 

Men  looted  the  stores  and  feasted,  or  wantonly 
destroyed  valuables  they  had  no  use  for.  None 
stopped  this  havoc,  for  the  officers  were  quartered 
in  the  adjacent  houses,  themselves  holding  high 
revelry.  Lawless  hordes  visited  the  police  offices, 
threw  their  furniture  into  the  streets,  tore  to 
shreds  all  the  books,  papers  and  records  found, 
and  created  general  havoc.  They  gorged  and 
cursed,  using  swords  for  knives,  and  lay  down  in 
the  soaking  streets  or  leaned  against  the  guns  to 
smoke  the  inevitable  cigarillo.  A  few  looked  up 
at  the  gilded  keys  of  St.  Peter  adorning  the  front 
of  the  cathedral,  perhaps  wondering  if  they 
would  be  used  to  admit  them  to  a  better  world. 

Next  day,  as  I  sallied  forth  to  the  dismal  duty 
of  caring  for  the  dead  and  dying,  the  guns  of  the 
Argentine  fleet*  in  the  river  opposite  the  city 
blazed  forth  upon  the  quarter  held  by  the  Gov- 
ernment's loyal  troops.  One  hundred  and  fifty- 
four  shots  were  fired,  two  of  the  largest  gunboats 
firing  three-hundred  and  six-hundred  pounders. 
Soon  every  square  was  a  shambles,  and  the  mud 
oozed  with  blood.  The  Buenos  Ayres  Standard, 
describing  that  day  of  fierce  warfare,  stated : 

"At  dawn,  the  National  troops,  quartered  in 
the  Plaza  Libertad,  made  another  desperate 
attack  on  the  Revolutionary  positions  in  the 
Plaza  Lavalle.  The  Krupp  guns,  mitrailleuses 
and  gatlings  went  off  at  a  terrible  rate,  and 
volleys  succeeded  each  other,  second  for  second, 
from  five  in  the  morning  till  half-past  nine.    The 

^Brltlah-bullt  vesselB  of  the  latest  and  most  approved  types. 

36 


The  Argentine  Republic, 

work  of  death  was  fearful,  and  hundreds  of  spec- 
tators were  shot  down  as  they  watched  from  their 
balconies  or  housetops.  Cannon  balls  riddled  all 
the  houses  near  the  Cinco  Esquinas.  In  the 
attack  on  the  Plaza  Lavalle,  three  hundred  men 
must  have  fallen. 

"  At  ten  a.m.  the  white  flag  of  truce  was  hoisted 
on  both  sides,  and  the  dismal  work  of  collecting 
the  dead  and  wounded  began.  The  ambulances 
of  the  Asistencia  Publica,  the  cars  of  the  tram 
companies  and  the  wagons  of  the  Red  Cross  were 
busilj  engaged  all  day  in  carrying  away  the  dead. 
It  is  estimated  that  in  the  Plaza  Lavalle  above 
600  men  were  wounded  and  300  killed.  Consid- 
ering that  the  Revolutionists  defended  an 
entrenched  position,  whilst  the  National  troops 
attacked,  we  may  imagine  that  the  losses  of  the 
latter  were  enormous. 

"  General  Lavalle,  commander-in-chief  of  the 
National  forces,  gave  orders  for  a  large  number 
of  coffins,  which  were  not  delivered,  as  the  under- 
taker wished  to  be  paid  cash.  It  is  to  be  sup- 
posed that  these  coffins  were  for  the  dead  officers. 

"When  the  white  flags  were  run  up.  Dr.  Del 
Valle,  Senator  of  the  Nation,  sent,  in  the  name 
of  the  Revolutionary  Committee,  an  ultimatum 
to  the  National  Government,  demanding  the  im- 
mediate dismissal  of  the  President  of  the 
Republic  and  dissolution  of  Congress.  Later  on 
it  was  known  that  both  parties  had  agreed  on  an 
armistice,  to  last  till  mid-day  on  Monday." 

Of  the  third  day's  sanguinary  fighting,  the 
Standard  wrote: 

"The  Plaza  Libertad  was  taken  by  General 

37 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

Lavalle  at  the  head  of  the  National  troops  under 
the  most  terrible  fire,  but  the  regiments  held  well 
together  and  carried  the  position  in  a  most  gal- 
lant manner,  confirming  the  reputation  of  in- 
domitable valor  that  the  Argentine  troops  won 
at  the  trenches  of  Curupayti.  Our  readers  may 
imagine  the  fire  they  suffered  in  the  straight 
streets  swept  by  Krupp  guns,  gatlings  and 
mitrailleuses,  while  every  housetop  was  a  fortress 
whence  a  deadly  fire  was  poured  on  the  heads  of 
the  soldiers.  Let  anybody  take  the  trouble  to 
visit  the  Calles*  Cerrito,  Libertad  and  Talca- 
huano,  the  vicinity  of  the  Plazas  Parque  and 
Lavalle,  and  he  will  be  staggered  to  see  how  all 
the  houses  have  been  riddled  by  mitrailleuses  and 
rifle  bullets.  The  passage  of  cannon  balls  is 
marked  on  the  iron  frames  of  windows,  smashed 
frames  and  demolished  balconies  of  the  houses. 

"  The  Miro  Palace,  in  the  Plaza  Parque,  is  a 
sorry  picture  of  wreckage :  the  *  mirador '  is 
knocked  to  pieces  by  balls  and  shells;  the  walls 
are  riddled  on  every  side,  and  nearly  all  the 
beautiful  Italian  balconies  and  buttresses  have 
been  demolished.  The  firing  around  the  palace 
must  have  been  fearful,  to  judge  by  the  utter 
ruin  about,  and  all  the  telephone  wires  dangling 
over  the  street  in  meshes  from  every  house.  Ruin 
and  wreckage  everywhere. 

"  By  this  time  the  hospitals  of  the  city,  the 
churches  and  public  buildings  were  filled  with 
the  wounded  and  dying,  borne  there  on  stretchers 
made  often  of  splintered  and  shattered  doors. 
Nearly  a  hundred  men  were  taken  into  the  San 

•fltreflts. 

38 


The  Argentine  Repuhlic. 

Francisco  convent  alone."  Yet  with  all  this  the 
lust  for  blood  was  not  quenched.  It  could  still 
be  written  of  the  fourth  day: 

"At  about  half-past  two,  a  sharp  attack  was 
made  by  the  Government  troops  on  the  Plaza 
Parque,  and  a  fearful  fire  was  kept  up.  Hundreds 
and  hundreds  fell  on  both  sides,  but  the  Govern- 
ment troops  were  finally  repulsed.  People 
standing  at  the  corners  of  the  streets  cheering  for 
the  Revolutionists  were  fired  on  and  many  were 
killed.  Bodies  of  Government  troops  were  sta- 
tioned at  the  corners  of  the  streets  leading  to  the 
Plaza.  Large  bales  of  hay  had  been  heaped  up 
to  protect  them  from  the  deadly  fire  of  the 
Revolutionists. 

"It  was  at  times  difficult  to  remember  that 
heavy  slaughter  was  going  on  around.  In  many 
parts  of  the  city  people  were  chatting,  joking 
and  laughing  at  their  doors.  The  attitude  of  the 
foreign  population  was  more  serious;  they 
seemed  to  foresee  the  heavy  responsibilities  of 
the  position  and  to  accurately  forecast  the  result 
of  the  insurrection. 

"  The  bulletins  of  the  various  newspapers 
during  the  revolution  were  purchased  by  the 
thousand  and  perused  with  the  utmost  avidity; 
fancy  prices  were  often  paid  for  them.  The 
Sunday  edition  of  The  Standard  was  sold  by 
enterprising  newsboys  in  the  suburbs  as  high  as 
$3.00  per  copy,  whilst  fifty  cents  was  the  regula- 
tion price  for  a  momentary  peep  at  our:  first 
column." 

Towards  the  close  of  that  memorable  29th  of 
July  the  hail  of  bullets  ceased,  but  the  insurgent 

39 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

fleet  still  kept  up  its  destructive  bombardment 
of  the  Government  houses  for  four  hours. 

The  Kevolutionists  were  defeated,  or,  as  was 
seriously  afifirmed,  had  been  sold  for  the  sum  of 
one  million  Argentine  dollars. 

*^  Estamos  vendidos! "  "  Estamos  vendidosl" 
(We  are  sold !  We  are  sold ! )  was  heard  on  every 
hand.  Because  of  this  surrender  officers  broke 
their  swords  and  men  threw  away  their  rifles  as 
they  wept  with  rage.  A  sergeant  exclaimed: 
"And  for  this  they  called  us  out — to  surrender 
without  a  struggle !  Cowards !  Poltroons !  " 
And  then  with  a  stern  glance  around  he  placed 
his  rifle  to  his  breast  and  shot  himself  through 
the  heart.  After  the  cessation  of  hostilities  both 
sides  collected  their  dead,  and  the  wounded  were 
placed  under  the  care  of  surgeons,  civil  as  well 
as  military. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  insurgents 
were  said  to  be  defeated,  the  President,  Dr. 
Celman,  fled  from  the  city,  and  the  amusing 
spectacle  was  seen  of  men  and  youths  patrolling 
the  streets  wearing  cards  in  their  hats  which 
read:  "  Ya  se  fue  el  hurro  "  (At  last  the  donkey 
has  gone).  A  more  serious  sight,  however,  was 
when  the  effigy  of  the  fleeing  President  was 
crucified. 

Thus  ended  the  insurrection  of  1890,  a  rising 
which  sent  three  thousand  brave  men  into 
eternity. 

What  changes  had  taken  place  in  four  short 
days!  At  the  Plaza  Libertad  the  wreckage  was 
most  complete.  The  beautiful  partierres  were 
trodden  down  by  horses;  the  trees  had  been  par- 

40 


The  Argentine  Repuhlio. 

tially  cut  down  for  fuel ;  pools  of  blood,  remnants 
of  slaughtered  animals,  offal,  refuse  everywhere. 

Since  the  glorious  days  of  the  British  invasion 
— glorious  from  an  Argentine  point  of  view — 
Buenos  Ayres  had  never  seen  its  streets  turned 
into  barricades  and  its  housetops  into  fortresses. 
In  times  of  electoral  excitement  we  had  seen 
electors  attack  each  other  in  bands  many  years, 
but  never  was  organized  warfare  carried  on  as 
during  this  revolution.  The  Plaza  Parque  was 
occupied  by  four  or  five  thousand  Revolutionary 
troops;  all  access  to  the  Plaza  was  defended  by 
armed  groups  on  the  house-tops  and  barricades 
in  the  streets.  Krupp  guns  and  that  most  in- 
fernal of  modern  inventions,  the  mitrailleuse, 
swept  all  the  streets,  north,  south,  east  and  west. 
The  deadly  grape  swept  the  streets  down  to  the 
very  river,  and  not  twenty  thousand  men  could 
have  taken  the  Revolutionary  position  by  storm, 
except  by  gutting  the  houses  and  piercing  the 
blocks,  as  Colonel  Garmendia  proposed,  to  avoid 
the  awful  loss  of  life  suffered  in  the  taking  of 
the  Plaza  Libertad  on  Saturday  morning. 

At  the  close  of  the  revolution  the  great  city 
found  itself  suffering  from  a  quasi-famine.  High 
prices  were  asked  for  everything.  In  some  dis- 
tricts provisions  could  not  be  obtained  even  at 
famine  prices.  The  writer  for  the  first  time  in 
his  life  had  to  go  here  and  there  to  beg  a  loaf  of 
bread  for  his  family's  needs. 

A  reporter  of  the  Argentine  News,  July  31st 
of  that  same  year,  wrote: 

"  There  is  a  revolution  going  on  in  Rosario.  It 
began    on    Saturday,   when   the   Revolutionists 

41 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

surprised  the  Government  party,  and  by  one  on 
Sunday  most  of  the  Government  buildings  were 
in  their  hands.  It  is  now  eight  in  the  morning  and 
the  firing  is  terrible.  Volunteers  are  coming  into 
the  town  from  all  parts,  so  the  rebels  are  bound 
to  win  the  stronghold  shortly.  News  has  just 
come  that  the  Government  troops  have  sur- 
rendered. Four  p.m. — I  have  been  out  to  see  the 
dead  and  wounded  gathered  up  by  the  ambulance 
wagons.  I  should  think  the  dead  are  less  than  a 
hundred,  and  the  wounded  about  four  times  that 
number.  The  surprise  was  so  sudden  that  the 
victory  has  been  easy  and  with  little  loss  of  life. 
The  Eevolutionists  are  behaving  well  and  not 
destroying  property  as  they  might  have  done. 
The  whole  town  is  rejoicing;  flags  of  all  nations 
are  flying  everywhere.  The  saddest  thing  about 
the  affair  is  that  some  fifty  murderers  have 
escaped  from  the  prison.  I  saw  many  of  them 
running  away  when  I  got  upon  the  spot.  The 
order  has  been  given  to  recapture  them.  I  trust 
they  may  be  caught,  for  we  have  too  many  of  that 
class  at  liberty  already.  *  ♦  ♦  ♦  it  is  esti- 
mated that  over  100,000  rounds  of  ammunition 
were  fired  in  the  two  days.  ♦  ♦  ♦  The 
insurgents  fed  on  horse-meat  and  beef,  the  former 
being  obtained  by  killing  the  horses  belonging  to 
the  police,  the  latter  from  the  various  dairies, 
from  which  the  cows  were  seized." 

In  1911  the  two  largest  Dreadnoughts  of  the 
world,  the  Rivadavia  and  the  Moreno,  were 
launched  for  the  Argentine  Government.  These 
two  battleships  are  half  as  powerful  again  as  the 
largest  British  Dreadnought. 

42 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  CRIOLLO  VILLAGE. 

The  different  centres  of  trade  and  commerce 
in  the  Argentine  can  easily  be  reached  by  train 
or  river  steamer.  Rosario,  with  its  140,000  in- 
habitants, in  the  north;  Bahia  Blanca,  where 
there  is  the  largest  wheat  elevator  in  the  world, 
in  the  south,  and  Mendoza,  at  the  foot  of  the 
Andes,  several  times  destroyed  by  earthquake, 
five  hundred  miles  west — all  these  are  more  or 
less  like  the  capital. 

To  arrive  at  an  isolated  village  of  the  interior 
the  traveller  must  be  content  to  ride,  as  I  did, 
on  horseback,  or  be  willing  to  jolt  along  for 
weeks  in  a  wagon  without  springs.  These  carts 
are  drawn  by  eight,  ten,  or  more  bullocks,  as  the 
weight  warrants,  and  are  provided  with  two  very 
strong  wheels,  without  tires,  and  often  standing 
eight  and  ten  feet  high.  The  patient  animals, 
by  means  of  a  yoke  fastened  to  their  horns  with 
raw-hide,  draw  these  carts  through  long  prairie 
grass  or  sinking  morass,  through  swollen  rivers 
or  oozing  mud,  over  which  malaria  hangs  in 
visible  forms. 

The  voyager  must  be  prepared  to  suffer  a  little 
hunger  and  thirst  on  the  way.  He  must  sleep 
amongst  the  baggage  in  the  cart,  or  on  the  broader 
bed  of  the  ground,  where  snakes  and  tarantulas 

43 


Through  Five  Repuhlics  on  Horseback. 

creep  and  the  heavy  dew  saturates  one  through 
and  through. 

As  is  well  known,  the  bullock  is  a  slow  animal, 
and  these  never  travel  more  than  two  or  three 
miles  an  hour. 

Time  with  the  native  is  no  object.  The  words, 
"  With  patience  we  win  heaven,"  are  ever  on  his 
lips. 

The  Argentine  countryman  is  decidedly  lazy. 

Darwin  relates  that  he  asked  two  men  the 
question:  "Why  don't  you  work?"  One  said: 
"  The  days  are  too  long !  "  Another  answered : 
"  I  am  too  poor." 

With  these  people  nothing  can  succeed  unless 
it  is  begun  when  the  moon  is  on  the  increase.  The 
result  is  that  little  is  accomplished. 

You  cannot  make  the  driver  understand  your 
haste,  and  the  bullocks  understand  and  care  still 
less. 

The  mosquitoes  do  their  best  to  eat  you  up 
alive,  unless  your  body  has  already  had  all  the 
blood  sucked  out  of  it,  a  humiliating,  painful  and 
disfiguring  process.  You  must  carry  with  you 
sufficient  food  for  the  journey,  or  it  may  happen 
that,  like  me,  you  are  only  able  to  shoot  a  small 
ring  dove,  and  with  its  entrails  fish  out  of  the 
muddy  stream  a  monster  turtle  for  the  evening 
meal. 

If,  on  the  other  hand,  you  pass  a  solitary 
house,  they  will  with  pleasure  give  you  a  sheep. 
If  you  killed  one  without  permission  your  punish- 
ment would  perhaps  be  greater  than  if  you  had 
killed  a  man. 

If  a  bullock  becomes  ill  on  the  road,  the  driver 

44 


[48] 


The  Argentine  Repul^lio. 

will,  with  his  knife,  cut  all  around  the  sod  where 
the  animal  has  left  its  footprint.  Lifting  this 
out,  he  will  cut  a  cross  on  it  and  replace  it  the 
other  side  uppermost.  This  cure  is  most  im- 
plicitly believed  in  and  practised. 

The  making  of  the  cross  is  supposed  to  do 
great  wonders,  which  your  guide  is  never  tired 
of  recounting  while  he  drinks  his  mdt^  in  the 
unbroken  stillness  of  the  evening.  Alas!  the 
many  bleaching  bones  on  the  road  testify  that 
this,  and  a  hundred  other  such  remedies,  are  not 
always  effectual,  but  the  mind  of  the  native  is 
so  full  of  superstitious  faith  that  the  testimony 
of  his  own  eyes  will  not  convince  him  of  the 
absurdity  of  his  belief.  As  he  stoops  over  the 
fire  you  will  notice  on  his  breast  some  trinket  or 
relic,  which,  he  assures  you,  will  save  him  from 
every  unknown  and  unseen  danger  in  his  land 
voyage.  Let  it  not  be  imagined  that  he  carries 
no  weapons.  In  his  belt  is  always  to  be  seen 
a  long  knife  and  usually  a  revolver.  On  the  bul- 
lets he  will  often  scratch  the  sign  of  the  cross, 
otherwise  the  seven  devils  of  his  victim  would 
enter  him.  Sacks  of  herbs  are  tied  around  the 
neck  of  calves  so  that  women  about  to  give  birth 
to  children  may  not  be  bewitched. 

When  your  driver  is  young  and  amorously  in- 
clined you  will  notice  that  he  never  starts  for 
the  regions  beyond  without  first  providing  him- 
self with  an  owl's  skin.  This  tied  on  his  breast, 
he  tells  you,  will  ensure  him  favor  in  the  eyes 
of  the  females  he  may  meet  on  the  road,  and  on 
arrival  at  his  destination. 

47 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

I  once  witnessed  what  at  first  sight  appeared 
to  be  a  heavy  fall  of  snow  coming  up  with  the 
wind  from  the  south.  Strange  to  relate,  this 
phenomenon  turned  out  to  be  millions  of  white 
butterflies  of  large  size.  Some  of  these,  when 
measured,  I  found  to  be  four  and  five  inches 
across  the  wings.  Darwin  relates  his  having,  in 
1832,  seen  the  same  sight,  when  his  men  ex- 
claimed that  it  was  "  snowing  butterflies." 

The  inhabitants  of  these  trackless  wilds  are 
very,    very    few,    but   in    all    directions    I    saw 
numbers  of  ostriches,  which  run  at  the  least  sign 
of  man,  their  enemy.  The  fastest  horse  could  not 
outstrip  this  bird  as  with  wings  outstretched  he 
speeds  before  the  hunter.    As  Job,  perhaps  the 
oldest  historian  of  the  world,  truly  says :    "  What 
time  she  lifteth  herself  up  on  high,  she  scometh 
the  horse  and  his  rider.''     The  male  bird  joins 
his  spouse  in  hatching  the  eggs,  sitting  on  them 
perhaps  longer  turns  than  the  female,  but  the 
weather  is  so  hot  that  little  brooding  is  required. 
I  have  had  them  on  the  shelf  of  my  cupboard  for 
a  week,  when  the  little  ones  have  forced  their  way 
out.     Forty  days  is  the  time  of  incubation,  so, 
naturally,  those  must  have  been  already  sat  on 
for  thirty-three  days.    With  open  wings  these 
giant  birds  often  manage  to  cover  from  twenty- 
five  to  forty-five  eggs,  although,  I  think,  they 
seldom  bring  out  more  than  twenty.     The  rest 
they  roll  out  of  the  nest,  where,  soon  rotting,  they 
breed  innumerable  insects,  and  provide  tender 
food    for    the   coming   young.     The    latter,    on 
arrival,  are  always  reared  by  the  male  ostrich, 
who,  not  being  a  model  husband,  ignominiously 


The  Argentine  Repuhlio, 

drives  away  the  partner  of  his  joys.  It  might 
seem  that  he  has  some  reason  for  doing  this,  for 
the  old  historian  before  referred  to  says :  "  She 
is  hardened  against  her  young  ones  as  though 
they  were  not  hers." 

As  the  longest  road  leads  somewhere,  the 
glare  of  the  whitewashed  church  at  last  meets 
your  longing  gaze  on  the  far  horizon.  The  village 
churches  are  always  whitewashed,  and  an  old 
man  is  frequently  employed  to  strike  the  hours 
on  the  tower  bell  by  guess. 

I  was  much  struck  by  the  sameness  of  the  many 
different  interior  towns  and  villages  I  visited. 
Each  wore  the  same  aspect  of  indolent  repose, 
and  each  was  built  in  exact  imitation  of  the  other. 
Each  town  possesses  its  plaza,  where  palms  and 
other  semi-tropical  plants  wave  their  leaves  and 
send  out  their  perfume. 

From  the  principal  city  to  the  meanest  village, 
the  streets  all  bear  the  same  names.  In  every 
town  you  may  find  a  Holy  Faith  street,  a  St.  John 
street  and  a  Holy  Ghost  street,  and  these  streets 
are  shaded  by  orange,  lemon,  pomegranate,  fig 
and  other  trees,  the  fruit  of  which  is  free  to  all 
who  choose  to  gather.  All  streets  are  in  all  parts 
in  a  most  disgraceful  condition,  and  at  night 
beneath  the  heavy  foliage  of  the  trees  Egyptian 
darkness  reigns.  Except  in  daylight,  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  walk  those  wretched  roads,  where  a  goat 
often  finds  progress  a  diflftculty.  Kotten  fruit, 
branches  of  trees,  ashes,  etc.,  all  go  on  the  streets. 
A  hole  is  often  bridged  over  by  a  putrefying 
animal,  over  which  run  half-naked  urchins, 
pelting  each  other  with  oranges  or  lemons — com- 

49 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

mon  as  stones.  When  the  highways  are  left  in 
such  a  state,  is  it  to  be  wondered  at  that,  while 
standing  on  my  own  door-step,  I  have  been  able 
to  count  eleven  houses  where  smallpox  was  doing 
its  deadly  work,  all  within  a  radius  of  one 
hundred  yards? 

Even  in  the  city  of  La  Plata,  the  second  of 
importance  in  Argentina,  I  once  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  fall  into  an  open  drain  while  passing 
down  one  of  the  principal  streets.  The  night  was 
intensely  dark,  and  yet  there  was  no  light  left 
there  to  warn  either  pedestrian  or  vehicle-driver, 
and  this  sewer  was  seven  feet  deep. 

Simple  rusticity  and  ignorance  are  the  chief 
characteristics  of  the  country  people.  They  used 
to  follow  and  stare  at  me  as  though  I  were  a 
visitor  from  Mars  or  some  other  planet.  When 
I  spoke  to  them  in  their  language  they  were  de- 
lighted, and  respectfully  hung  on  my  words  with 
bared  heads.  When,  however,  I  told  them  of 
electric  cars  and  underground  railways,  they 
turned  away  in  incredulity,  thinking  that  such 
marvels  as  these  could  not  possibly  be. 

Old  World  towns  they  seem  to  be.  The  houses 
are  built  of  sun-baked  mud  bricks,  kneaded  by 
mares  that  splash  and  trample  through  the  oozy 
substance  for  hours  to  mix  it  well.  The  poorer 
people  build  ranches  of  long,  slender  canes  or 
Indian  cornstalks  tied  together  by  grass  and 
coated  with  mud.  These  are  all  erected  around 
and  about  the  most  imposing  edifice  in  the  place 
— the  whitewashed  adobe  church. 

All  houses  are  hollow  squares.  The  patio,  with 
its  well,  is  inside  this  enclosure.    Each  house  is 

50 


The  Argentine  Republic. 

lime-washed  in  various  colors,  and  all  are  flatr 
roofed  and  provided  with  grated  windows,  giving 
them  a  prison-like  appearance.  The  window-panes 
are  sometimes  made  of  mica.  Over  the  front 
doors  of  some  of  the  better  houses  are  pictures 
of  the  Virgin.  The  nurse's  house  is  designated 
by  having  over  the  doorway  a  signboard,  on  which 
is  painted  a  full-blooming  rose,  out  of  the  petals 
of  which  is  peeping  a  little  babe. 

If  you  wish  to  enter  a  house,  you  do  not  knock 
at  the  door  (an  act  that  would  be  considered 
great  rudeness),  but  clap  your  hands,  and  you 
are  most  courteously  invited  to  enter.  The  good 
woman  at  once  sets  to  work  to  serve  you  with 
mdt6,  and  quickly  rolls  a  cigar,  which  she  hands 
to  you  from  her  mouth,  where  she  has  already 
lighted  it  by  a  live  ember  of  charcoal  taken  from 
the  fire  with  a  spoon.  Matches  can  be  bought, 
but  they  cost  about  ten  cents  a  hundred.  If  you 
tell  the  housewife  you  do  not  smoke  she  will 
stare  at  you  in  gaping  wonder.  Their  children 
use  the  weed,  and  I  have  seen  a  mother  urge  her 
three-year-old  boy  to  whiff  at  a  cigarette. 

Round  each  dwelling  is  a  ramada,  where  grapes 
in  their  season  hang  in  luxuriant  clusters;  and 
each  has  its  own  garden,  where  palms,  peaches, 
figs,  oranges,  limes,  sweet  potatoes,  tobacco,  nuts, 
garlic,  etc.,  grow  luxuriantly.  The  garden  is 
surrounded  by  a  hedge  of  cacti  or  other  kindred 
plants.  The  prickly  pear  tree  of  that  family  is 
one  of  the  strangest  I  have  seen.  On  the  leaves, 
which  are  an  inch  or  more  in  thickness,  grows 
the  fruit,  and  I  have  counted  as  many  as  thirteen 
pears  growing  on  a  single  leaf.  When  ripe  thej 

51 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

are  a  deep  red  color,  and  very  sweet  to  the  taste. 
The  skin  is  thick,  and  covered  with  innumerable 
minute  prickles.  It  is,  I  believe,  a  most  refresh- 
ing and  healthful  food. 

Meat  is  very  cheap.  A  fine  leg  of  mutton  may 
be  bought  for  the  equivalent  of  twelve  cents,  and 
good  beef  at  four  cents  a  pound.  Their  favorite 
wine,  Lagrimas  de  San  Juan  (Tears  of  Holy 
John),  can  be  bought  for  ten  cents  a  quart. 

All  cooking  is  done  on  braziers — a  species  of 
three-legged  irou  bucket  in  which  the  charcoal 
fire  is  kindled.  On  this  the  little  kettle,  filled 
from  the  well  in  the  patio,  is  boiled  for  the  in- 
evitable mat6.  About  this  herb  I  picked  up,  from 
various  sources,  some  interesting  information. 
The  m^t6  plant  grows  chiefly  in  Paraguay,  and 
is  sent  down  the  river  in  bags  made  of  hides. 
From  the  village  of  Tacurri  Pucu  in  that  country 
comes  a  strange  account  of  the  origin  of  the 
yerha  mate  plant,  which  runs  thus :  "God,  accom- 
panied by  St.  John  and  St.  Peter,  came  down  to 
the  earth  and  commenced  to  journey.  One  day, 
after  most  difficult  travel,  they  arrived  at  the 
house  of  an  old  man,  father  to  a  virgin  young  and 
beautiful.  The  old  man  cared  so  much  for  this 
girl,  and  was  so  anxious  to  keep  her  ever  pure 
and  innocent,  that  they  had  gone  to  live  in  the 
depths  of  a  forest.  The  man  was  very,  very  poor, 
but  willingly  gave  his  heavenly  visitors  the  best 
he  could,  killing  in  their  honor  the  only  hen  he 
possessed,  which  served  for  supper.  Noting  this 
action,  God  asked  St.  Peter  and  St.  John,  when 
they  were  alone,  what  they  would  do  if  they  were 
Him.   They  both  answered  Him  that  they  would 

52 


The  Argentine  Republic, 

largely  reward  such  an  unselfish  host.  Bringing 
him  to  their  presence,  God  addressed  him  in  these 
words :  '  Thou  who  art  poor  hast  been  generous, 
and  I  will  reward  thee  for  it.  Thou  hast  a 
daughter  who  is  pure  and  innocent,  and  whom 
thou  greatly  lovest.  I  will  make  her  immortal, 
and  she  shall  never  disappear  from  earth'  Then 
God  transformed  her  into  the  plant  of  the  yerba 
mdt6.  Since  then  the  herb  exists,  and  although 
it  is  cut  down  it  springs  up  again."  Other  stories 
run  that  the  maiden  still  lives;  for  God,  instead 
of  turning  her  into  the  mdt^  plant,  made  her 
mistress  of  it,  and  she  lives  to  help  all  those 
who  make  a  compact  with  hei  Many  men  during 
"  Holy  week,"  if  near  a  town,  visit  the  churches 
of  Paraguay  and  formally  promise  to  dedicate 
themselves  to  her  worship,  to  live  in  the  woods 
and  have  no  other  woman.  After  this  vow  they 
go  to  the  forest,  taking  a  paper  on  which  the 
party  has  written  their  name.  This  they  pin 
with  a  thorn  on  the  mate  plant,  and  leave  it  for 
her  to  read.    Thus  she  secures  her  devotees. 

The  Paraguayan  still  clings  to  the  heathenism 
of  his  forefathers. 

Mate  is  drunk  by  all,  from  the  babe  to  the 
centenarian ;  by  the  rich  cattle-owner,  who  drinks 
it  from  a  chased  silver  cup  through  a  golden 
bombilla,  to  his  servant,  who  is  content  with  a 
small  gourd,  which  everywhere  grows  wild,  and 
a  tin  tube.  Tea,  as  we  know  it,  is  only  to  be 
bought  at  the  chemist's  as  a  remedy  for  nerves. 
In  other  countries  it  is  said  to  be  bad  for  nerves. 

Each  house  possesses  its  private  altar,  where 
the  saints  are  kept.    That  sacred  spot  is  veiled  off 

53 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Eorsehack. 

when  possible — if  only  by  hanging  in  front  of  it 
a  cow's  hide — from  the  rest  of  the  dwelling.  It 
consists,  according  to  the  wealth  or  piety  of  the 
housewife,  in  expensive  crosses,  beads,  and  pic- 
tures of  saints  decked  out  with  costly  care;  or, 
it  may  be,  but  one  soiled  lithograph  surrounded 
by  paper  flowers  or  cheap  baubles  of  the  poorer 
classes;  but  all  are  alike  sacred.  Everything  of 
value  or  beauty  is  collected  and  put  as  an  offering 
to  these  images — pieces  of  colored  paper,  birds' 
eggs,  a  rosy  tomato  or  pomegranate,  or  any 
colored  picture  or  bright  tin.  Descending  from 
the  ridiculous  to  the  gruesome,  I  have  known  a 
mother  scrape  and  clean  the  bones  of  her  dead 
daughter  in  order  that  they  might  be  given  a 
place  on  the  altar.  Round  this  venerated  spot 
the  goodwife,  with  her  palm-leaf  broom,  sweeps 
with  assiduous  care,  and  afterwards  carefully 
dusts  her  crucifix  and  other  devotional  objects 
with  her  brush  of  ostrich  feathers.  Here  she 
kneels  in  prayer.  Saint  Anthony  interests 
himself  in  finding  her  lost  ring,  and  Saint 
Roque  is  a  wonderful  physician  in  case  of  sick- 
ness. If  she  be  a  maiden  Saint  Carmen  will  find 
her  a  suitable  husband;  if  a  widow.  Saint  John 
will  be  a  husband  to  her;  and  if  an  orphan,  the 
sacred  heart  of  the  Virgin  of  Carmen  gives 
balsam  to  the  forlorn  one.  Saint  Joseph  protects 
the  artisan,  and  all  spend  much  time  at  the  church 
in  the  Plaza.  Unfortunately  cock  fighting  also 
demands  much  of  their  attention.  "Movies"  have 
not  yet  invaded  those  rural  towns.  Few  of  the 
people  can  either  read  or  write. 

54 


The  Argentine  Republic. 

Under  the  portales  in  the  public  square  there 
are  the  professional  letter  writers.  They,  for  a 
small  sum,  are  always  ready  to  write  a  letter  for 
anyone,  be  the  matter  business  or  love,  for  man  or 
maiden.  There  is  also  the  blacksmith  ready  to 
shoe  your  horse  or  bullock  or  cow.  The  milkman 
leads  his  cows  from  house  to  house.  The  accom- 
panying calf  is  tied  to  its  mother's  tail,  and  wears 
a  halter  and  a  muzzle.    The  cow  is  always  shod. 

Renous,  the  naturalist,  tells  us  that  he  visited 
one  of  these  towns  and  left  some  caterpillars  with 
a  girl.  These  she  was  to  feed  until  his  return, 
that  they  might  change  to  butterflies.  When  this 
was  rumored  through  the  village,  police  and 
governor  consulted  together  and  agreed  that  it 
must  be  black  magic.  When  poor  Renous  re- 
turned some  time  afterwards  he  was  arrested. 

When  religious  questions  have  not  arisen,  life 
in  those  remote  villages  has  passed  very  pleas- 
antly. The  people  live  in  great  simplicity,  know- 
ing scarcely  anything  of  the  outside  world  and  its 
progress. 

At  the  Feast  of  St.  John  the  women  take  sheep 
and  lambs,  gaily  decorated  with  colored  ribbons, 
to  church  with  them.  That  is  an  act  of  worship, 
for  the  priest  puts  his  hand  on  each  lamb  and 
blesses  it.  A  velorio  for  the  dead,  or  a  dance  at 
a  child's  death,  are  generally  the  only  meetings 
beside  the  church. 

Carnival  is  a  joyous  time,  and  if  for  only  once 
in  the  year  the  quiet  town  then  resounds  with 
mirth.  Pails  of  water  are  carried  up  to  the  flat 
roofs  of  the  houses,  and  each  unwary  pedestrian 

55 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

is  in  turn  deluged.  At  other  times  flour  is  sub- 
stituted, and  on  the  last  day  of  the  feast  ashes 
are  thrown  on  all  sides.  At  other  seasons  of  the 
year  the  streets  are  quiet,  and  after  the  rural 
pursuits  of  the  day  are  over,  the  guitar  is  brought 
put,  and  the  evening  breeze  wafts  waves  of  music 
to  each  listening  ear.  The  guitar  is  in  all  South 
America  what  the  bag-pipes  are  to  Scotland — the 
national  musical  instrument  of  the  people.  The 
Criollo  plays  mostly  plaintive,  broken  airs — now 
so  low  as  to  be  almost  inaudible,  then  high  and 
shrill.  Here  and  there  he  accompanies  the  music 
with  snatches  of  song,  telling  of  an  exploit  or 
describing  the  dark  eyes  of  some  lovely  maiden. 
The  airs  strike  one  as  being  very  strange,  and 
decidedly  unlike  the  rolling  songs  of  British 
music. 

In  those  interior  towns  a  very  quiet  life  may 
be  passed,  far  away  from  the  whistle  of  the  rail- 
way engine.  Everything  is  simplicity  itself,  and 
it  might  almost  be  said  of  some  that  time  itself 
seems  at  a  standstill.  During  the  heat  of  the 
day  the  streets  are  entirely  deserted;  shops  are 
closed,  and  all  the  world  is  asleep,  for  that  is  the 
siesta  time.  "  They  eat  their  dinners  and  go  to 
sleep — and  could  they  do  better?  " 

After  this  the  barber  draws  his  chair  out  to 
the  causeway  and  shaves  or  cuts  his  customer's 
hair.  Women  and  children  sit  at  their  doors 
drinking  mdt^  and  watching  the  slowly  drawn 
bullock-carts  go  up  and  down  the  uneven,  un- 
made roads,  bordered,  not  by  the  familiar  maple, 
but  with  huge  dust-covered  cactus  plants.  The 
bullocks  all  draw  with  their  horns,  and  the  in- 

56 


The  Argentine  RepuNio. 

dolent  driver  sits  on  the  yoke,  urging  forward  his 
sleepy  animals  with  a  poke  of  his  cane,  on  the 
end  of  which  he  has  fastened  a  sharp  nail.  The 
l)uei/  is  very  thick-skinned  and  would  not  heed  a 
whip.  The  wheels  of  the  cart  are  often  cut  from 
a  solid  piece  of  wood,  and  are  fastened  on  with 
great  hardwood  pins  in  a  most  primitive  style. 
Soon  after  sunset  all  retire  to  their  trestle  beds. 

In  early  morning  the  women  hurry  to  mass. 
The  Criollo  does  not  break  his  fast  until  nearly 
mid-day,  so  they  have  no  early  meal  to  prepare. 
Even  before  It  is  quite  light  it  is  difficult  to  pass 
along  the  streets  owing  to  the  custom  they  have 
of  carrying  their  praying-chairs  with  them  to 
mass.  The  rich  lady  will  be  followed  by  her  dark- 
skinned  maid  bearing  a  sumptuously  upholstered 
chair  on  her  head.  The  middle  classes  carry 
their  own,  and  the  very  poor  take  with  them  a 
palm-leaf  mat  of  their  own  manufacture.  After 
service  they  make  their  way  down  to  the  river 
or  pond,  carrying  on  their  heads  the  soiled  linen. 
Standing  waist-high  in  the  water,  they  wash  out 
the  stains  with  black  soap  of  their  own  manu- 
facture, beating  each  article  with  hardwood 
boards  made  somewhat  like  a  cricketer's  bat.  The 
clothes  are  then  laid  on  the  sand  or  stones  of  the 
shore.  The  women  gossip  and  smoke  until  these 
are  dry  and  ready  to  carry  home  again  ere  the 
heat  becomes  too  intense. 

In  Argentine  life  the  almanac  plays  an  im- 
portant part;  in  that  each  day  is  dedicated  to 
the  commemoration  of  some  saint,  and  the  child 
born  must  of  necessity  be  named  after  the  saint 

57 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

on  whose  day  he  or  she  arrives  into  the  world. 
The  first  question  is,  "What  name  does  it  bring?" 
The  baby  may  have  chosen  to  come  at  a  time 
when  the  calendar  shows  an  undesirable  name, 
still  the  parents  grumble  not,  for  a  saint  is  a 
saint,  and  whatever  names  they  bear  must  be 
good.  The  child  is,  therefore,  christened  "Cara- 
ciollo,"  or  "John  Baptist,"  when,  instead  of 
growing  up  to  be  a  forerunner  of  Christ,  he  or 
she  may,  with  more  likelihood,  be  a  forerunner 
of  the  devil.  Whatever  name  a  child  brings,  how- 
ever, has  Mary  tacked  on  to  it. 

All  names  serve  equally  well  for  male  or  female 
children,  as  a  concluding  "o"  or  "a"  serves  to 
distinguish  the  sex.  Many  men  bear  the  name 
of  Joseph  Mary.  Numbers,  also,  both  male  and 
female,  have  been  baptized  by  the  name  of 
"Jesus,"  "Saviour,"  or  "Redeemer."  If  I  were 
asked  the  old  question,  "What's  in  a  name?" 
I  should  answer,  "Very  little,"  for  in  South 
America  the  most  insolent  thief  will  often  boast 
in  the  appellation  of  Don  Justice,  and  the  lowest 
girl  in  the  village  may  be  Senorita  Celestial.  Don 
Jesus  may  be  found  incarcerated  for  riotous  con- 
duct, and  I  have  known  Don  Saviour  throw  his 
unfortunate  wife  and  children  down  a  well;  Don 
Destroyer  would  have  been  a  more  appropriate 
name  for  him.  M^^s.  Angel  her  husband  sometimes 
finds  not  such  an  angel  after  all,  when  she  puts 
poison  into  his  mate  cup,  a  not  infrequent 
occurrence.  Let  none  be  deceived  in  thinking 
that  the  appellation  is  any  index  to  a  man's  char- 
acter. 


58 


THE   WORLD'S  LARGEST    ROCKING  STONE,   TANDIL,   ARGENTINA. 

This  immense  stone  is  so  evenly  poised  tliat  tlie  wind  or  tlie  sliglitest  touch  of  the  hand  sets  it  in  motion,  but 
tlie  storms  of  the  centuries  have  failed  to  dislodge  it, 

[59J 


CHAPTEE  IV. 

THE  PRAIRIE  AND  IT8  INHABITANTS. 

The  Pampas,  or  prairie  lands  of  the  Argentine, 
stretch  to  the  south  and  west  of  Buenos  Ayres, 
and  cover  some  800,000  square  miles.  On  this 
vast  level  plain,  watered  by  sluggish  streams  or 
shallow  lakes,  boundless  as  the  ocean,  seemingly 
limitless  in  extent,  there  is  an  exhilarating  air 
and  a  rich  herbage  on  which  browse  countless 
herds  of  cattle,  horses,  and  flocks  of  sheep.  The 
grass  grows  tall,  and  miles  upon  miles  of  rich 
scarlet,  white,  or  yellow  flowers  mingle  with  or 
overtop  it.  Beds  of  thistles,  in  which  the  cattle 
completely  hide  themselves,  stretch  away  for 
leagues  and  leagues,  and  present  an  almost  un- 
broken sheet  of  purple  flowers.  So  vast  are  these 
thistle-beds  that  a  day's  ride  through  them  only 
leaves  the  traveller  with  the  same  purple  forest 
stretching  away  to  the  horizon.  The  florist  w»;uld 
be  enchanted  to  see  whole  tracts  of  land  covered 
by  the  Verbena  Melindres,  which  appears,  even 
long  before  you  reach  it,  to  be  of  a  bright  scarlet. 
There  are  also  acres  and  acres  of  the  many- 
flowered  camomile  and  numberlf^ss  other  plants; 
while  large  tracts  of  low-lying  land  are  covered 
with  coarse  pampa  grass,  affording  shelter  for 
numberless  deer,  and  many  varieties  of  ducks, 
cranes,  flamingoes,  swans  and  turkeys.  Wood 
there  is  none,  with   the  exception  of  a   solitary 

61 


The  Argentine  Republic, 

tree  here  and  there  at  great  distances,  generally 
marking  the  site  of  some  cattle  establishment  or 
estancia.  An  ombu,  or  cluster  of  blue  gums,  is 
certain  to  be  planted  there. 

On  this  prairie,  man,  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  he  is  the  "  lord  of  creation,"  is  decidedly 
in  the  minority.  Millions  of  four-footed  animals 
roam  the  plains,  but  he  may  be  counted  by  hun- 
dreds. Let  us  turn  to  him,  however,  in  his  iso- 
lated home,  for  the  Gaucho  has  been  described 
as  one  of  tne  most  interesting  races  on  the  face 
of  the  earth.  A  descendant  of  the  old  conquerors, 
who,  leaving  their  fair  ones  in  the  Spanish  penin- 
sula, took  unto  them  as  wives  the  unclothed 
women  of  the  new  world,  he  inherits  the  color 
and  habits  of  the  one  with  the  vices  and  dignity 
of  the  other.  Living  the  wild,  free  life  of  the 
Indian,  and  retaining  the  language  of  Spain; 
the  finest  horseman  of  the  world,  and  perhaps 
the  worst  assassin;  the  most  open-handed  and 
hospitable,  yet  the  accomplished  purloiner  of  his 
neighbor's  cattle;  imitating  the  Spaniard  in  the 
beautifully-chased  silver  trappings  of  his  horse, 
and  the  untutored  Indian  in  his  miserable  adobe 
hovel;  spending  his  whole  wealth  in  heavy  gold 
or  silver  bell-shaped  stirrups,  bridle,  or  spurs 
(the  rowel  of  the  latter  sometimes  having  a  diam- 
eter of  six  inches) ,  and  leaving  his  home  destitute 
of  the  veriest  necessities  of  life — such  is  the 
Gaucho.  A  horn  or  shell  from  the  river's  bed 
makes  his  spoon,  gourds  provide  him  with  his 
plates  and  dishes;  but  his  knife,  with  gold  or 
silver  handle  and  sheath,  is  almost  a  little  for- 
tune in  itself.    Content  in  his  dwelling  to  sit  on 

62 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horsehadk, 

a  bullock's  skull,  on  horseback  his  saddle  must 
be  mounted  in  silver.  His  own  beard  and  hair 
he  seldom  trims,  but  his  horse's  mane  and  tail 
must  be  assiduously  tended.  The  baked-mud  floor 
of  his  abode  is  littered  with  filth  and  dirt,  while 
he  raves  at  a  speck  of  mud  on  his  embroidered 
silk  saddle-cloth. 

The  Gaucho  is  a  strange  contradiction.  He 
has  blushed  at  my  good  but  plain-looking  saddle, 
yet  courteously  asked  me  to  take  a  skull  seat. 
He  may  possess  five  hundred  horses,  but  you 
search  his  kitchen  in  vain  for  a  plate.  If  you 
please  him  he  will  present  you  with  his  best 
horse,  waving  away  your  thanks.  If  you  dis- 
please him,  his  long  knife  will  just  as  readily  find 
its  way  to  your  heart,  for  he  kills  his  enemies 
with  as  little  compunction  as  he  kills  the  ostrich. 
"  The  Gaucho,  with  his  proud  and  dissolute  air, 
is  the  most  unique  of  all  South  American  charac- 
ters. He  is  courageous  and  cruel,  active  and 
tireless.  Never  more  at  ease  than  when  on  the 
wildest  horse ;  on  the  ground,  out  of  his  element. 
His  politeness  is  excessive,  his  nature  fierce." 
The  children  do  not,  like  ours,  play  with  toys, 
but  delight  the  parents'  hearts  by  teasing  a  cat  or 
dog.  These  they  will  stick  with  a  thorn  or 
pointed  bone  to  hear  them  yell,  or,  later  on,  lasso 
and  half  choke  them.  "  They  will  put  out  their 
eyes,  and  such  like  childish  games,  innocent  little 
darlings  that  they  are."  Cold-blooded  torture  is 
their  delight,  and  they  will  cheer  at  the  sight  of 
blood. 

To  describe  the  dress  of  this  descendant  of 
Adam  I  feel  myself  incapable.  A  shirt  and  a  big 

63 


The  Argentine  Republio. 

slouch  hat  seem  to  be  the  only  articles  of  attire 
like  ours.     Coat,  trousers  or  shoes  he  does  not 
wear.    Instead  of  the  first  mentioned,  he  uses  the 
poncho,  a  long,  broad  blanket,  with  a  slit  in  the 
centre  to  admit  his  head.    For  trousers  he  wears 
very   wide   white   drawers,    richly   embroidered 
with  broad  needlework  and  stiffly  starched.  Over 
these  he  puts  a  black  chiripd,  which  really  I  can- 
not describe  other  than  as  similar  to  the  napkins 
the  mother  provides  for  her  child.     Below  this 
black  and  white  leg  covering  come  the  long  boots, 
made  from  one  piece  of  seamless  hide.    These 
boots  are  nothing  more  than  the  skin  from  the 
hind  legs  of  an  animal — generally  a  full-grown 
horse.     The  bend  of  the  horse's  leg  makes  the 
boot's  heel.     Naturally  the  toes  protrude,  and 
this  is  not  sewn  up,  for  the  Gaucho  never  puts 
more  than  his  big  toe  in  the  stirrup,  which,  like 
the  bit  in  his  horse's  mouth,  must  be  of  solid 
silver.     A  dandy  will  beautifully  scallop  these 
rawhide  boots  around  the  tops  and  toes,  and 
keep  them  soft  with  an  occasional  application  of 
grease.     No  heel  is  ever  attached.     Around  the 
man's  waist,  holding  up  his  drawers  and  chiripa, 
is  wound  a  long  colored  belt,  with  tasseled  ends 
left  hanging  over  his  boot,  down  the  right  side; 
and  over  that  he  invariably  wears  a  broad  skin 
belt,  clasped  at  the  front  with  silver  and  adorned 
all  around  with  gold  or  silver  coins.    In  this  the 
long  knife  is  carried. 

What  shall  I  say  of  the  domestic  life  of  these 
people?  Unfortunately,  marriage  is  practically 
unknown  among  them.  The  father  gives  his  son 
a  few  cattle,  and  the  young  man,  after  building 

64 


The  Argentine  Republic. 

himself  a  house,  conducts  thither  his  chosen  one. 
Unhappily,  constancy  in  either  man  or  woman  is 
a  rare  virtue. 

Among  these  strange  people  I  commenced  a 
school,  and  had  the  joy  of  teaching  numbers  of 
them  to  read  the  Spanish  Bible.  Boys  and  girls 
came  long  distances  on  horseback,  and,  although 
some  of  them  had  perhaps  never  seen  a  book  be- 
fore, I  found  them  exceedingly  quick  to  learn. 
In  four  or  five  months  the  older  ones  were  able 
to  read  any  ordinary  chapter.  In  arithmetic 
they  were  inconceivably  dull,  and  after  three 
months'  tuition  some  of  them  could  not  count 
ten. 

In  cases  of  sickness  very  simple  remedies  are 
used,  and  not  a  few  utterly  nonsensical.  To  cure 
pains  in  the  stomach  they  tie  around  them  the 
skin  of  the  comadreka,  a  small,  vile-smelling 
animal.  This  they  told  me  was  a  sovereign 
remedy.  If  the  sufferer  be  a  babe,  a  cross  made 
on  its  stomach  is  sufficient  to  perfectly  cure  it. 
I  have  seen  seven  pieces  of  the  root  of  the  white 
lily,  which  there  grows  wild,  tied  around  the 
neck  of  an  infant  in  order  that  its  teeth  might 
come  with  greater  promptitude  and  less  pain. 
A  string  of  dog's  teeth  serves  the  same  purpose. 
To  cure  a  bad  wound,  the  priest  will  be  called  in 
that  he  may  write  around  the  sore  some  Latin 
prayer  backwards.  Headache  is  easily  cured  by 
tying  around  the  head  the  cast-off  skin  of  a 
snake.  Two  puppies  are  killed  and  bound  one  on 
each  side  of  a  broken  limb.  If  a  charm  is  worn 
around  the  neck  no  poison  can  be  harmful.  For 
a  sore  throat  it  is  sufficient  to  expectorate  in  the 

65 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

fire  three  times,  making  a  cross.  Lockjaw  is 
effectualy  stopped  by  tying  around  the  sufferer's 
jaws  the  strings  from  a  virgin's  skirt;  and  they 
say  also  that  powdered  excrement  of  a  dog,  taken 
in  a  glass  of  water,  cures  the  smallpox  patient. 

As  Mrs.  Jesus  sent  her  boy  to  my  school,  so 
Mrs.  Flower  sent  her  girl.  The  latter  was  a 
strange  woman.  Near  her  lived  a  person  for 
whom  she  had  an  especial  aversion,  but  that 
enemy  she  got  rid  of  in  surely  the  strangest  of 
ways,  which  she  described  to  me.  Catching  a 
snake,  and  holding  it  so  that  its  poison  might  not 
reach  her,  she  passed  a  threaded  needle  through 
both  its  eyes.  When  this  was  done  she  let  it  go 
again,  alive,  and,  carefully  guarding  the  needle, 
approached  the  person  from  behind  and  made  a 
cross  with  the  thread.  The  undesired  one  disap- 
peared, having  probably  heard  of  the  enchant- 
ment, and  being  equally  superstitious,  or — the 
charm  worked ! 

Mrs.  Flower  was  a  most  repulsive-looking 
creature.  Her  skin  was  exactly  the  color  of  an 
old  copper  coin.  She  did  not  resemble  any  flower 
I  have  seen  in  either  hemisphere.  Far  was  she 
from  being  a  rose,  but  she  certainly  possessed  the 
thorn.  I  seldom  saw  her  off  a  horse's  back.  She 
said  she  was  born  there  and  that  God  made  her 
legs  to  sit  there. 

Stone  not  being  found  on  the  pampas,  these 
people  generally  build  their  houses  of  square 
sods,  with  a  roof  of  plaited  grasses — sometimes 
I  have  observed  these  beautifully  woven  together. 
Two  or  more  holes,  according  to  the  size  of  the 


The  Argentine  Repiihlic. 

house,  are  left  to  serve  for  door  and  window. 
Wood  cannot  be  obtained,  glass  has  not  been  in- 
troduced, so  the  holes  are  left  as  open  spaces, 
across  which,  when  the  pampa  wind  blows,  a  hide 
is  stretched.  No  hole  is  left  in  the  roof  for  the 
smoke  of  the  fire  to  escape,  for  this  to  the  native 
is  no  inconvenience  whatever.  When  I  have  been 
compelled  to  fly  with  racking  cough  and  splitting 
head,  he  has  calmly  asked  the  reason.  Never 
could  I  bear  the  blinding  smoke  that  issues  from 
his  fire  of  sheep  or  cow  dung  burning  on  the 
earthen  floor,  though  he  heeds  it  not  as,  sitting 
on  a  bullock's  skull,  he  ravenously  eats  his  even- 
ing meal. 

If  entertaining  a  stranger,  he  will  press  uncut 
joint  after  joint  of  his  asado  upon  him.  This 
asado  is  meat  roasted  over  the  fire  on  a  spit;  if 
beef,  with  the  skin  and  hair  still  attached.  Meat 
cooked  in  this  way  is  a  real  delicacy.  A  favorite 
dish  with  them  (I  held  a  different  opinion)  is  a 
half-formed  calf,  taken  before  its  proper  time  of 
birth.  The  meat  is  often  dipped  in  the  ashes  in 
lieu  of  salt.  I  have  said  the  Gaucho  has  no  chair. 
I  might  add  that  neither  has  he  a  table,  for  with 
his  fingers  and  knife  he  eats  the  meat  off  the  fire. 
Forks  he  is  without,  and  a  horn  or  shell  spoon 
conveys  the  soup  to  his  mouth  direct  from  the 
copper  pan.  So  universal  is  the  use  of  the  shell 
for  this  service  that  the  native  does  not  speak 
of  it  as  caracol,  the  real  word  for  shell,  but  calls 
it  cuchara  del  agua,  or  water  spoon.  Of  knives 
he  possesses  more  than  enough,  and  heavy,  long, 
sharp-pointed  ones  they  are.  When  his  hunger 
is  appeased  the  knife  goes,  not  to  the  kitchen,  but 

37 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

to  his  belt,  where,  when  not  in  his  hand,  you  may 
always  see  it.  With  that  weapon  he  kills  a  sheep, 
cuts  off  the  head  of  a  serpent — seemingly,  how- 
ever, not  doing  it  much  harm,  for  it  still  wriggles 
— sticks  his  horse  when  in  anger,  and,  alas,  as  I 
have  said,  sometimes  stabs  his  fellow-man.  Being 
so  far  isolated  from  the  coast,  he  is  necessarily 
entirely  uneducated.  The  forward  march  of  the 
outer  world  concerns  him  not;  indeed  he 
imagines  that  his  native  prairie  stretches  away 
to  the  end  of  the  world.  He  will  gaze  with 
wonder  on  your  watch,  for  his  only  mode  of  ascer- 
taining the  time  is  by  the  shadow  the  sun  casts 
As  that  luminary  rises  and  sets,  so  he  sleeps  and 
wakes.  His  only  bed  is  the  sheepskin,  which 
when  riding  he  fastens  over  his  saddle,  and  the 
latter  article  forms  his  pillow.  His  coverlet  is 
the  firmament  of  heaven,  the  Southern  Cross  and 
other  constellations,  unseen  by  dwellers  in  the 
Northern  Hemisphere,  seeming  to  keep  watch 
over  him;  or  in  the  colder  season  his  poncho, 
which  I  have  already  described.  Around  his 
couch  flit  the  fireflies,  resembling  so  many  stars 
of  earth  with  their  strangely  radiant  lights.  The 
brightness  of  one,  when  held  near  the  face  of  my 
watch,  made  light  enough  to  enable  me  to  ascer- 
tain the  hour,  eveur  on  the  darkest  night. 

The  Gaucho  with  his  horse  is  at  home  any- 
where. When  on  a  journey  he  will  stop  for  the 
evening  meal  beside  the  dry  bones  of  some  dead 
animal.  With  these  and  grass  he  will  make  a 
fire  and  cook  the  meat  he  carries  hanging  behind 
him  on  the  saddle.  I  have  known  an  animal 
killed  and  the  meat  cooked  with  its  own  boneSj 


The  Argentine  Republic. 

but  this  is  not  usual.  Dry  bones  burn  better,  and 
thistle-stalks  better  still.  He  will  then  lie  down 
on  mother  earth  with  the  horse-cloth  under  him 
and  the  saddle  for  a  pillow.  When  travelling 
with  these  men  I  have  known  them,  without  any 
comment,  stretch  themselves  on  the  ground,  even 
though  the  rain  was  falling,  and  soon  be  in 
dreamland.  After  having  passed  a  wretched 
night  myself,  I  have  asked  them,  "How  did  you 
sleep?"  ^^Muy  Bien,  Benor'^  (Very  good,  sir),  has 
been  the  invariable  answer.  They  would  often 
growl  much,  however,  over  the  wet  saddle-cloths, 
for  these  soon  cause  a  horse's  back  to  become 
sore. 

Here  and  there,  but  sometimes  at  long  dis- 
tances apart,  there  is  a  pulperia  on  the  road. 
This  is  always  designated  by  having  a  white  flag 
flying  on  the  end  of  a  long  bamboo.  At  these 
places  cheap  spirits  of  wine  and  very  bad  rum 
can  be  bought,  along  with  tobacco,  hard  ship- 
biscuits  (very  often  full  of  maggots,  as  I  know 
only  too  well),  and  a  few  other  more  necessary 
things.  I  have  observed  in  some  of  these  wayside 
inns  counters  made  of  turf,  built  in  blocks  as 
bricks  would  be.  Here  the  natives  stop  to  drink 
long  and  deep,  and  stew  their  meagre  brains  in 
bad  spirits.  These  draughts  result  in  quarrels 
and  sometimes  in  murder. 

The  Gaucho,  like  the  Indian,  cannot  drink 
liquor  without  becoming  maddened  by  it.  He 
will  then  do  things  which  in  his  sober  moments 
he  would  not  dream  of.  I  was  acquainted  with 
a  man  who  owned  a  horse  of  which  he  was  very 
fond     This  animal  bore  him  one  evening  to  a 

69 


TJirough  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

pnlperia,  some  miles  distant,  and  was  left  tied 
outside  while  he  imbibed  his  fill  inside.  Coming 
out  at  length  beastly  intoxicated,  he  mounted  his 
horse  and  proceeded  homeward.  Arriving  at  a 
fork  in  the  path,  the  faithful  horse  took  the  one 
leading  home,  but  the  rider,  thinking  in  his 
stupor  that  the  other  way  was  the  right  one, 
turned  the  horse's  head.  As  the  poor  creature 
wanted  to  get  home  and  have  the  saddle  taken 
off,  it  turned  again.  This  affront  was  too  much 
for  the  Gaucho,  who  is  a  man  of  volcanic  pas- 
sions, so  drawing  his  knife,  he  stabbed  it  in  the 
neck,  and  they  dropped  to  the  ground  together. 
When  he  realized  that  he  had  killed  his  favorite 
horse  he  cried  like  a  child.  I  passed  this  dead 
animal  several  times  afterwards  and  saw  the 
vultures  clean  its  bones.  It  served  me  as  a  wit- 
ness to  the  results  of  ungoverned  passion. 

The  Gaucho  does  not,  and  would  not  under  any 
consideration,  ride  a  mare;  consequently,  for 
work  she  is  practically  valueless.  Strain,  who 
rode  across  the  pampas,  says :  "  In  a  single  year 
ten  million  hides  were  exported."  For  one  or  two 
dollars  each  the  buyer  may  purchase  any  number ; 
indeed,  of  such  little  worth  are  the  mares  that 
they  are  very  often  killed  for  their  hide,  or  to 
serve  as  food  for  swine.  At  one  estancia  I  visited 
I  wag  informed  that  one  was  killed  each  day  foi' 
pig  feed.  The  mare  can  be  driven  long  distances 
even  a  hundred  miles  a  day,  for  several  successive 
days  The  Argentine  army  must  surely  be  th" 
most  mobile  of  any  in  the  world,  for  its  soldiers, 
when  on  the  march,  get  nothing  but  mare's  flesli 
and  the  custom  gives  them  great  facility  of  move 

70 


THE  AUTHOR_IN  GAUCHO  DRESS. 


[711 


The  Argentine  Repuhlic. 

ment.  The  horse  has,  more  or  less,  its  standard 
value,  and  costs  four  or  five  times  the  price  of 
the  mare. 

Sometimes  it  happens  that  the  native  finds  a 
colt  which  is  positively  untamable.  On  the  cheek 
of  such  an  animal  the  Gaucho  will  burn  a  cross 
and  then  allow  it  to  go  free,  like  the  scape-goat 
mentioned  in  the  book  of  Leviticus. 

The  native  horse  is  rather  small,  but  very  wiry 
and  wild.  I  was  once  compelled,  through  sick- 
ness, to  make  a  journey  of  ninety-seven  miles, 
being  in  the  saddle  for  seventeen  consecutive 
hours,  and  yet  my  poor  horse  was  unable  to  get 
one  mouthful  of  food  on  the  journey,  and  the 
saddle  was  not  taken  off  his  back  for  a  moment. 
He  was  very  wild,  yet  one  evening  between  five 
and  eight  o'clock,  he  bore  me  safely  a  distance 
of  thirty-six  miles,  and  returned  the  same  dis- 
tance with  me  on  the  following  morning.  He 
had  not  eaten  or  drunk  anything  during  the 
night,  for  the  locusts  had  devoured  all  pasturage 
and  no  rain  had  fallen  for  a  space  of  five  months. 

The  horse  is  not  indigenous  to  America, 
although  Darwin  tells  us  that  South  America 
had  a  native  horse,  which  lived  and  disappeared 
ages  ago.  Spanish  history  informs  us  that  they 
were  first  landed  in  Buenos  Ayres  in  1537.  We 
are  further  told  that  the  Indians  flew  away  in 
terror  at  the  sight  of  a  man  on  horseback,  which 
they  took  to  be  one  animal  of  a  strange,  two- 
headed  shape.  When  the  colony  was  for  a  time 
deserted  these  horses  were  suffered  to  run  wild. 
Those  animals  so  multiplied  and  spread  over  such 
a  vast  area  that  they  were  found,  forty-three  yeara 

73 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback, 

later,  even  down  to  the  Straits  of  Magellan,  a 
distance  of  eleven  hundred  miles.  With  good 
pasture  and  a  limitless  expanse  to  roam  over, 
they  soon  turned  from  the  dozens  to  thousands, 
and  may  now  be  counted  by  millions.  The  Pata- 
gonian  "  foot "  Indians  quickly  turned  into 
"  horse "  Indians,  for  on  those  wide  prairie 
lands  a  man  without  a  horse  is  almost  comparable 
to  a  man  without  legs.  In  former  years,  thou- 
sands of  wild  horses  roamed  over  these  extensive 
plains,  but  the  struggle  of  mankind  in  the  battle 
of  life  turned  men's  attention  to  them,  and  they 
were  captured  and  branded  by  whomsoever  had 
the  power  and  cared  to  take  the  trouble.  In  the 
more  isolated  districts,  there  may  still  be  found 
numbers  which  are  born  and  die  without  ever 
feeling  the  touch  of  saddle  or  bridle.  Far  away 
from  the  crowded  busses  and  perpetually  moving 
hansoms  of  the  city,  they  feel  not  the  driver's 
whip  nor  the  strain  of  the  wagon,  as,  with  tail 
trailing  on  the  ground  and  head  erect,  they  gallop 
in  freedom  of  life.    Happy  they ! 

In  all  directions  on  the  prairie  ostriches  are 
found.  The  natives  catch  them  with  hoUadoras, 
an  old  Indian  weapon,  which  is  simply  three 
round  stones,  incased  in  bags  of  hide,  tied  to- 
gether by  twisted  ropes,  also  of  hide.  When  the 
hunters  have,  by  galloping  from  different  direc- 
tions, baffled  the  bird  in  his  flight,  they  thunder 
down  upon  him,  and,  throwing  the  boliadoras 
round  his  legs,  where  they  entangle,  effectually 
stop  his  flight.  I  have  seen  this  weapon  thrown 
a  distance  of  about  eighty  yards. 

The  ostrich  is  a  bird  with  wonderful  digestive 

74 


The  Argentine  Repuhlio. 

powers,  which  I  often  have  envied  him ;  he  eats 
grass  or  pebbles,  insects  or  bones,  as  suits  his 
varying  fancy.  If  you  drop  your  knife  or  any 
other  article,  he  will  stop  to  examine  it,  being 
most  inquisitive,  and,  if  possible,  he  will  swallow 
it.  The  flesh  of  the  ostrich  is  dry  and  tough,  and 
its  feathers  are  not  to  be  compared  in  beauty 
with  those  of  the  African  specimen.  Generally  a 
very  harmless  bird,  he  is  truly  formidable  during 
breeding  time.  If  one  of  the  eggs  is  so  much  as 
touched  he  will  break  the  whole  number  to 
shivers.  Woe  to  the  man  whom  he  savagely  at- 
tacks at  such  times;  one  kick  of  his  great  foot, 
with  its  sharp  claws,  is  sufficient  to  open  the 
body  of  man  or  horse.  The  Gaucho  uses  the  skin 
from  the  neck  of  this  bird  as  a  tobacco  pouch,  and 
the  eggs  are  considered  a  great  delicacy.  One  is 
equal  to  about  sixteen  hen's  eggs. 

As  all  creation  has  its  enemy,  the  ostrich  finds 
his  in  the  iguana,  or  lizard — an  unsightly,  scaly, 
long-tailed  species  of  land  crocodile.  This  ani- 
mal, when  full-grown,  attains  the  length  of  five 
feet,  and  is  of  a  dark  green  color.  He,  when  he 
can  procure  them,  feeds  on  the  ostrich  eggs,  which 
I  believe  must  be  a  very  strengthening  diet.  The 
lizard,  after  fattening  himself  upon  them  during 
the  six  hotter  months  of  the  year,  is  enabled  to 
retire  to  the  recesses  of  his  cave,  where  he  tran- 
quilly sleeps  through  the  remaining  six.  The 
shell  of  the  ostrich's  egg  is  about  the  thickness 
of  an  antique  china  cup,  but  the  iguana  finds  no 
difficulty  in  breaking  it  open  with  a  slash  of  his 
tail.  This  wily  animal  is  more  astute  than  the 
bird,  which  lays  its  eggs  in  the  open  spaces,  for 

75 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

the  lizard,  with  her  claws,  digs  a  hole  in  the 
ground,  in  which  hers  are  dropped  to  the  number 
of  dozens.  The  lizard  does  not  provide  shells  for 
her  eggs,  but  only  covers  them  with  a  thick,  soft 
skin,  and  they,  buried  in  the  soil,  eventually 
hatch  themselves. 

When  the  Gaucho  cannot  obtain  a  better  meal, 
the  tail  of  the  lizard  is  not  considered  such  a  des- 
picable dish  by  him,  for  he  is  no  epicure.  When 
he  has  nothing  he  is  also  contented.  His  phil- 
osophy is  :  "  Nunca  tenga  Jiamhre  cuando  no  hay 
que  comer"  (Never  be  hungry  when  no  food  is  to 
be  had ) . 

The  estancia,  or  cattle  ranch,  is  a  feature  of 
the  Argentine  prairie.  Some  of  these  establish- 
ments are  very  large,  even  up  to  one  hundred 
square  miles  in  extent.  On  them  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  cattle,  sheep  and  horses  are  herded. 
"  It  is  not  improbable  that  there  are  more  cattle 
in  the  pampas  and  llanos  of  South  America  than 
in  all  the  rest  of  the  world."*  An  estancia  is 
almost  invariably  called  by  the  name  of  some 
saint,  as  are  the  different  fields  belonging  to  it. 
"Holy  Mary  field"  and  "Saint  Joseph  field" 
are  common  names.  Notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  there  may  be  thousands  of  cows  on  a 
ranch,  the  visitor  may  be  unable  to  get  a  drop  of 
milk  to  drink.  "  Cows  are  not  made  to  milk,  but 
to  eat,"  they  say.  Life  on  these  establishments 
is  rough  and  the  fare  generally  very  coarse.  Even 
among  the  wealthy  people  I  have  visited  you  may 
sit  down  to  dinner  with  nothing  but  meat  put 
before  you,  without  a  bite  of  bread  or  any  vege- 

•Dr.   Hartwiff  In    "ArK-«--*ina."    1910. 

76 


The  Ar genu  116  Republic, 

tables.  All  drink  water  out  of  an  earthenware 
pitcher  of  peculiar  shape,  which  is  the  centrepieo^i 
of  the  table. 

Around  the  ranches  of  the  people  are  manj 
mice,  which  must  be  of  a  ferocious  nature,  for  if 
one  is  caught  in  a  trap  it  will  be  found  next 
morning  half,  if  not  almost  wholly,  eaten  by  its 
own  comrades.  Well  is  it  called  "the  cannibal 
mouse." 

In  times  of  drought  the  heat  of  the  sun  dries 
up  all  vegetation.  The  least  spark  of  fire  then 
suffices  to  create  a  mighty  blaze,  especially  if 
accompanied  by  the  pampero  wind,  which  blows 
with  irresistible  force  in  its  sweep  over  hundreds 
of  miles  of  level  ground.  The  fire,  gathering 
strength  as  it  goes,  drives  all  before  it,  or 
wraps  everything  in  its  devouring  flames.  Casting 
a  lurid  light  in  the  heavens,  towards  which  rise 
volumes  of  smoke,  it  attracts  the  attention  of  the 
native,  who  lifts  his  starting  eyes  towards  heaven 
in  a  speechless  prayer  to  the  Holy  Virgin.  Madly 
leaping  on  his  fleetest  horse,  without  saddle,  and 
often  without  bridle,  he  wildly  gallops  down  the 
wind,  as  the  roaring,  crackling  fire  gains  upon 
him.  In  this  mad  race  for  life,  men,  horses,  ost- 
riches, deer,  bullocks,  etc.,  join,  striving  to  excel 
each  other  in  speed.  Strange  to  say,  the  horse 
the  native  rides,  cheered  on  by  the  touch  of  his 
master,  is  often  the  first  to  gain  the  lake  or  river, 
where,  beneath  its  waters  at  least,  refuge  may  be 
found.  In  their  wild  stampede,  vast  herds  of 
cattle  trample  and  fall  on  one  another  and  are 
drowned.  A  more  complete  destruction  could  not 
overtake  the  unfortunate  traveller    than    to  be 

77 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Eorsehach. 

caught  by  this  remorseless  foe,  for  not  even  his 
ashes  could  be  found  by  mourning  friends.  The 
ground  thus  burnt  retains  its  heat  for  days.  I 
have  had  occasion  to  cross  blackened  wastes  a 
week  after  this  most  destructive  force  in  nature 
had  done  its  work,  and  my  horse  has  frequently 
reared  in  the  air  at  the  touch  of  the  hot  soil  on 
his  hoofs. 

The  Gaucho  has  a  strange  method  of  fighting 
these  fires.  Several  mares  are  killed  and  opened, 
and  they,  by  means  of  lassos,  are  dragged  over  the 
burning  grass. 

The  immensity  of  the  pampas  is  so  great  that 
one  may  travel  many  miles  without  sighting  a 
single  tree  or  human  habitation.  The  weary 
traveller  finds  his  only  shade  from  the  sun's 
pitiless  rays  under  the  broad  brim  of  his  som- 
brero. At  times,  with  ears  forward  and 
extended  nostrils,  the  horse  gazes  intently  at  the 
rippling  blue  waters  of  the  mirage,  that  most 
tantalizingly  deceptive  phenomenon  of  nature. 
May  it  never  be  the  lot  of  my  reader  to  be  misled 
by  the  illusive  mirage  as  I  have  been.  How  could 
I  mistake  vapor  for  clear,  gurgling  water?  Yet, 
how  many  times  was  I  here  deceived !  Visions  of 
great  lakes  and  broad  rivers  rose  up  before  me, 
lapping  emerald  green  shores,  where  I  could  cool 
my  parched  tongue  and  lave  in  their  crystal 
depths;  yet  to-day  those  waters  are  as  far  off  as 
ever,  and  exist  only  in  my  hopes  of  Paradise. 
Not  until  I  stand  by  the  "  Eiver  of  Life  "  shall  J 
behold  the  reality. 

The  inhabitant  of  these  treeless,  trackless  soli- 
tudes, which,  with  their  waving  grass,  remind  one 

78 


The  Argentine  Republic. 

of  the  bosom  of  the  ocean,  develops  a  keen  sight. 
Where  the  stranger,  after  intently  gazing,  de- 
scries nothing,  he  will  not  only  inform  him  that 
animals  are  in  sight,  but  will,  moreover,  tell  him 
what  they  are.  I  am  blest  with  a  very  clear 
vision,  but  even  when,  after  standing  on  my 
horse's  back,  I  have  made  out  nothing,  the  Gaucho 
could  tell  me  that  over  there  was  a  drove  of 
cattle,  a  herd  of  deer,  a  troop  of  horses,  or  a 
house. 

It  is  estimated  that  there  are  two  hundred  and 
forty  millions  of  acres  of  wheat  land  in  the 
Argentine,  and  of  late  years  the  prairie  has 
developed  into  one  of  the  largest  wheat-producing 
countries  in  the  world,  and  yet  only  one  per  cent, 
of  its  cultivable  area  is  so  far  occupied. 

The  Gaucho  is  no  farmer,  and  all  his  land  is 
given  up  to  cattle  grazing,  so  chacras  are  worked 
generally  by  foreign  settlers.  The  province  of 
Entre  Kios  has  been  settled  largely  by  Swiss  and 
Italian  farmers  from  the  Piedmont  Hills.  Baron 
Hirsch  has  also  planted  a  colony  of  Russian  Jews 
there,  and  provided  them  with  farm  implements. 
Wheat,  corn,  and  linseed  are  the  principal  crops, 
but  sweet  potatoes,  tobacco,  and  fruit  trees  do 
well  in  this  virgin  ground,  fertilized  by  the  dead 
animals  of  centuries.  The  soil  is  rich,  and  two  or 
three  crops  can  often  be  harvested  in  a  year. 

No  other  part  of  the  world  has  in  recent  years 
suffered  from  such  a  plague  of  locusts  as  the 
agricultural  districts  of  Argentina.  They  come 
from  the  north  in  clouds  that  sometimes  darken 
the  sun.  Some  of  the  swarms  have  been  esti- 
mated to  be  sixty  miles  long  and  from  twelve  to 

79 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

fifteen  miles  wide.  Fields  which  in  the  morning 
stand  high  with  waving  corn,  are  by  evening  only 
comparable  to  ploughed  or  burnt  lands.  Even 
the  roots  are  eaten  up. 

In  1907  the  Argentine  Government  organized 
a  bureau  for  the  destruction  of  locusts,  and  in 
1908  14,500,000  was  placed  by  Congress  at  the 
disposal  of  this  commission.     An  organized  ser- 
vice, embracing  thousands  of  men,  is  in  readiness 
at  any  moment  to  send  a  force  to  any  place  where 
danger  is  reported.     Railway  trains  have  been 
repeatedly  stopped,  and  literally  many  tons  of 
them  have  had  to  be  taken  off  the  track.    A  fine 
of  |100  is  imposed  upon  any  settler  failing  to 
report  the  presence  of  locust  swarms  or  hopper 
eggs  on  his  land.    Various  means  are  adopted  by 
the  land-owner  to  save  what  he  can  from  the  vora- 
cious insects.     Men,  women  and  children  mount 
their  horses  and  drive  flocks  of  sheep  to  and  fro 
over  the  ground  to  kill  them.     A  squatter  with 
whom  I  stayed  got  his  laborers  to  gallop  a  troop 
of  mares  furiously  around  his  garden  to  keep 
them  from  settling  there.    All,  however,  seemed 
useless.     About  midsummer  the  locust  lays  its 
eggs  under  an  inch  or  two  of  soil.   Each  female 
will  drop  from  thirty  to  fifty  eggs,  all  at  the  same 
time,  in  a  mass  resembling  a  head  of  wheat.   As 
many  as  50,000  eggs  have  been  counted  in  a  space 
less  than  three  and  a  half  feet  square. 

During  my  sojourn  in  Entre  Rios,  the  province 
where  this  insect  seems  to  come  in  greatest  num- 
bers, a  law  was  passed  that  every  man  over  the 
age  of  fourteen  years,  whether  native  or  for- 
eigner, rich  or  poor,  was  compelled  to  dig  out  and 

80 


The  Argentine  Republic. 

carry  to  Government  depots,  four  pounds  weight 
of  locusts'  eggs.    It  was  supposed  that  this  ener- 
getic measure  would  lessen  their  numbers.  Many 
tons  were  collected  and  burnt,  but,  I  assure  the 
reader,  no  appreciable  difference  whatever  was 
made  in  their  legions.    The  young  jumpers  came, 
eating  all  before  them,  and  their  numbers  seemed 
infinite.     Men  dug  trenches,  kindled  fires,  and 
burned  millions  of  them.  Ditches  two  yards  wide 
and  deep  and  two  hundred  feet  long  were  com- 
pletely filled  up  by  these  living  waves.    But  all 
efforts    were    unavailing — the    earth    remained 
covered.     A  Waldensian  acquaintance  suffered 
for  several  years  from  this  fearful  plague.    Some 
seasons  he  was  not  even  able  to  get  back  so  much 
as  the  seed  he  planted     If  the  locusts  passed  him, 
it  so  happened  that  the  pampero  wind  blew  with 
such  terrific  force  that  we  have  looked  in  vain 
even  for  the  straw.   The  latter  was  actually  torn 
up  by  the  roots  and  whirled  away,  none  knew 
whither.    At  other  times  large  hailstones,   for 
which  the  country  is  noted,  have  destroyed  every- 
thing, or  tens  of  thousands  of  green  paroquets 
have  done  their  destructive  work.   When  a  five- 
months'  drought  was  parching  everything,  I  have 
heard  him  reverently  pray  that  God  would  spare 
him  wheat  sufficient  to  feed  his  family.  This  food 
God  gave  him,  and  he  thankfully  invited  me  to 
share  it.    I  rejoice  in  being  able  to  say  that  he 
afterwards  became  rich,  and  had  his  favorite  say- 
'ng,  "  Dios  no  me  olvidare"  (God  will  not  forget 
.lie),  abundantly  verified. 


81 


Through  Five  Repuhlics  on  Horseback. 

Notwithstanding  natural  drawbacks,  which 
every  country  has,  Argentina  can  claim  to  have 
gone  forward  as  no  other  country  has  during  the 
last  ten  years.  There  are  many  estates  worth 
more  than  a  million  dollars.  Dr.  W.  A.  Hirot, 
in  "  Argentina,"  says :  "  Argentina  has  more  live 
stock  than  any  other  country  of  the  world.  Ten 
million  hides  have  been  exported  in  one  year,  and 
it  is  not  improbable  that  there  are  more  cattle 
in  South  America  than  there  are  in  all  the  rest 
of  the  world  combined."  Belgium  has  220  people 
occupying  the  space  one  person  has  in  Argentioa, 
■0  who  can  prophesy  as  to  its  future? 


82 


PART  U. 


BOLIVIA 


Have  you  gazed  on  naked  grandeur  where  there's  nothing 
else  to   gaze  on, 
Set  pieces  and  drop-curtain  scenes  galore, 
Big  mountains  heaved  to  heaven,  which  the  blinding  sunseta 
blazon. 
Black  canyons  where  the  rapids  rip  and  roar? 

— Bobert  W.  Service. 

83 


BOLIVIA 

Bolivia,  having  no  sea-coast,  has  been  termed 
the  Hermit  Republic  of  South  America.  Its  ter- 
ritory is  over  600,000  square  miles  in  extent,  and 
within  its  bounds  Nature  displays  almost  every 
possible  panorama,  and  all  climates.  There  are 
burning  plains,  the  home  of  the  emu,  armadillos, 
and  ants;  sandy  deserts,  where  the  wind  drifts 
the  sand  like  snow,  piling  it  up  in  ever-shifting 
hills  about  thirty  feet  in  height.  Bolivia,  shut 
in  geographically  and  politically,  is  a  world  in 
itself — a  world  of  variety,  in  scenery,  climate, 
products  and  people.  Its  capital  city.  La  Paz, 
has  a  population  of  70,000,  but  the  vast  interior 
is  almost  uninhabited.  In  the  number  of  inhabit- 
ants to  the  square  mile,  Bolivia  ranks  the  lowest 
of  all  the  nations  of  the  earth. 

Perhaps  no  country  of  the  world  has  been,  and 
is,  so  rich  in  precious  metals  as  Bolivia.  "  The 
mines  of  Potosi  alone  have  furnished  the  world 
over  11,500,000,000  worth  of  silver  since  the 
Spaniards  first  took  possession  of  them."* 

Bolivia  can  lay  claim  to  the  most  wonderful 
body  of  water  in  the  world — Lake  Titicaca.  This 
lake,  nearly  two  and  a  half  miles  high  in  the  air, 
is  literally  in  the  clouds.  "  Its  lonely  waters  have 
no  outlet  to  the  sea,  but  are  guarded  on  their 
southern  shores  by  gigantic  ruins  of  a  prehistoric 
empire — palaces,  temples,  and  fortresses — ^silent, 

•"Protestant  Missions  in  South  America." 

84 


Bolivia 

mysterious  monuments  of  a  long-lost  golden  age." 
Some  of  the  largest  and  most  remarkable  ruins 
of  the  world  are  found  on  the  shores  of  Lake 
Titicaca,  and  as  this  was  the  centre  of  the  great 
Incan  Dynasty,  that  remarkable  people  have  also 
left  wonderful  remains,  to  build  which  stones 
thirty-eight  feet  long,  eighteen  feet  wide,  and  six 
feet  thick,  were  quarried,  carried  and  elevated. 
The  Temple  of  the  Sun,  the  most  sacred  edifice 
of  the  Incas,  was  one  of  the  richest  buildings  the 
sun  has  ever  shone  upon,  and  it  was  itself  a  mine 
of  wealth.  Prom  this  one  temple,  Pizarro,  the 
Spanish  conqueror,  took  24,000  pounds  of  gold 
and  82,000  pounds  of  silver.  "  Ninety  million 
dollars'  worth  of  precious  metals  was  torn  from 
Inca  temples  alone.''  The  old  monarch  of  the 
country,  Atahuallpa,  gave  Pizarro  twenty-two 
million  dollars  in  gold  to  buy  back  his  country 
and  his  liberty  from  the  Spaniards,  but  their  first 
act  on  receiving  the  vast  ransom  was  to  march  him 
aft^r  a  crucifix  at  the  head  of  a  procession,  and, 
put  him  to  death.  Perhaps  never  in  the  world's 
history  was  there  a  baser  act.  Atahuallpa's  death 
was  the  beginning  of  the  end  of  the  Inca  empire, 
and  his  death  was  only  the  first  of  millions.  To- 
day, Bolivia,  as  large  as  sixty  Belgiums,  has  only 
one-third  the  population  that  country  had  before 
German  occupation. 

Surely  no  country  of  the  world  has  had  a 
darker  or  a  sadder  history  than  this  land  of  the 
Incas.  The  Spaniards  arrived  when  the  "Chil- 
dren of  the  Sun"  were  at  the  height  of  their 
prosperity.  "The  affair  of  reducing  the  country 
was  committed  to  the  hands  of  irresponsible  in- 

85 


Bolivia. 

dividuals,  soldiers  of  fortune,  desperate  adven- 
turers  who  entered  on  conquest  as  a  game  which 
they  had  to  play  in  the  most  unscrupulous  man- 
ner, with  little  care  but  to  win  it.  The  lands, 
and  the  persons  as  well,  of  the  conquered  races 
were  parcelled  out  and  appropriated  by  the 
victors  as  the  legitimate  spoils  of  victory.  Every 
day  outrages  were  perpetrated,  at  the  contempla- 
tion of  which  humanity  shudders.  They  suffered 
the  provident  arrangements  of  the  Incas  to  fall 
into  decay.  The  poor  Indian,  without  food,  now 
wandered  half-starved  ind  naked  over  the 
plateau.  Even  those  who  aided  the  Spaniards 
fared  no  better,  and  many  an  Inca  noble  roamed 
a  mendicant  over  the  fields  where  he  once  held 
rule;  and  if  driven,  perchance,  by  his  necessities 
to  purloin  something  from  the  superfluity  of  his 
conquerors,  he  expiated  it  by  a  miserable  death."* 

Charles  Kingsley  says  there  were  "  cruelties 
and  miseries  unexampled  in  the  history  of  Chris- 
tendom, or  perhaps  on  earth,  save  in  the  con- 
quests of  Sennacherib  and  Zinghis-Khan."  Mil- 
lions perished  at  the  forced  labor  of  the  mines. 
The  Incan  Empire  had,  it  is  calculated,  a  popula- 
tion of  twenty  millions  at  the  arrival  of  the 
Spaniards.  In  two  centuries  the  population  fell 
to  four  millions. 

When  the  groans  of  these  beasts  of  burden 
reached  the  ears  of  the  good  (?)  Queen  Isabel  of 
Spain,  she  enacted  a  law  that  throughout  her  new 
dominions  no  Indian,  man  or  woman,  should  be 
compelled  to  carry  more  than  three  hundred 
pounds'    weight  at  one  load!    Is  it  cause  for 

•Prescott'8  "ConqueBt  of  Peru," 

86 


Bolivia. 

wonder  that  the  poor,  down- trodden  natives, 
seeing  the  flaunting  flag  of  Spain,  with  its  stripe 
of  yellow^  between  stripes  of  red,  should  regard 
it  as  representing  a  river  of  gold  between  two 
rivers  of  blood? 

"Not  infrequently,"  said  a  reliable  wit- 
ness, "  I  have  seen  the  Spaniards,  long  after  the 
Conquest,  amuse  themselves  by  hunting  down 
the  natives  with  blood  hounds,  for  mere  sport,  or 
in  order  to  train  their  dogs  to  the  game.  The 
most  unbounded  scope  was  given  to  licentious- 
ness. The  young  maiden  was  torn  remorselessly 
from  the  arms  of  her  family  to  gratify  the  passion 
of  her  brutal  conqueror.  The  sacred  houses  of 
the  Virgins  of  the  Sun  were  broken  open  and 
violated,  and  the  cavalier  swelled  his  harem  with 
a  troop  of  Indian  girls,  making  it  seem  that  the 
crescent  would  have  been  a  more  fitting  emblem 
for  his  banner  than  the  immaculate  cross." 

What  is  to  be  the  future  of  these  natives? 
Shall  they  disappear  from  the  stage  of  the  world's 
history  like  so  many  other  aborigines,  victims  of 
civilization,  or  will  a  hand  yet  be  stretched  out 
to  help  them?  Civilization,  after  all,  is  not  en- 
tirely made  up  of  greed  and  lust,  but  in  it  there 
is  righteousness  and  truth.  May  the  day  soon 
da"WTi  when  some  of  the  latter  may  be  extended  to 
them  ere  they  take  the  long,  dark  trail  after  their 
fathers,  and  have  hurled  the  last  malediction  at 
their  cursed  white  oppressors! 

"  We  suffer  yet  a  little  space 

Until  we  pass  away, 
The  relics  of  an  ancient  race 

Tliat  ne'er  has  had  its  day." 

87 


Bolivia. 

For  four  hundred  years  Bolivia  has  thus  been 
held  in  chains  by  hard  taskmasters.  Since  its 
Incan  rulers  were  massacred,  its  civilization  has 
been  of  the  lowest.  Buildings,  irrigation  dams, 
etc.,  were  suffered  to  fall  into  disrepair,  and  the 
country  went  back  to  pre-Incan  days. 

"World   wrongly   called   tlie  new, 

This  clime  was  old 
When  first  the  Spaniards  came 

In  search  of  gold. 
Cities  rose,  ruled,   dwindled  to  decay, 

Empires  were  formed, 
Then  darkly  passed  away." 

Bolivia,  with  its  vast  natural  riches,  must 
come  to  the  forefront,  and  already  strides  are 
being  taken  forward.  She  can  export  over  five 
million  dollars'  worth  of  rubber  in  one  year,  and 
is  now  spending  more  than  fifty  million  dollars 
on  railways.  So  Bolivia  is  a  country  of  the  past 
and  the  future. 


88 


CHAPTER  V. 

JOURNEY  TO  "  THE  UNEXPLORED  LAKE." 

Since  the  days  when  Pizarro's  adventurers 
discovered  the  hitherto  undreamed-of  splendor 
of  the  Inca  Dynasty,  Bolivia  has  been  a  land  of 
surprises  and  romantic  discovery.  Strange  to 
say,  even  yet  much  of  the  eastern  portion  of 
this  great  republic  remains  practically  unex- 
plored. The  following  account  of  exploration  in 
those  regions,  left  for  men  of  the  twentieth  cen- 
tury, may  not,  I  am  persuaded,  be  without  in- 
terest to  the  general  reader.  Bolivia  has  for 
many  years  been  seriously  handicapped  through 
having  no  adequate  water  outlet  to  the  sea,  and 
the  immense  resources  of  wealth  she  undoubtedly 
possesses  have,  for  this  reason,  been  suffered  to 
go,  in  a  measure,  unworked  Now,  however,  in 
the  onward  progress  of  nations,  Bolivia  has 
stepped  forward.  In  the  year  1900,  the  Govern- 
ment of  that  country  despatched  an  expedition 
to  locate  and  explore  Lake  Gaiba,  a  large  sheet 
of  water  said  to  exist  in  the  far  interior  of  Bolivia 
and  Brazil,  on  the  line  dividing  the  two  republics. 
The  expedition  staff  consisted  of  Captain  Bol- 
land,  an  Englishman ;  M.  Barbiere,  a  Frenchman ; 
Dr.  Perez,  Bolivian;  M.  Gerard  D'Avezsac, 
French  artist  and  hunter,  and  the  writer  of  these 
pages.     The  crew  of  ten  men  was  made  u^  of 

91 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback, 

Paraguayans  and  Argentines,  white  men  d,nd 
colored,  one  Bolivian,  one  Italian,  and  one 
Brazilian.  Strange  to  relate,  there  was  no 
Scotchman,  even  the  ship's  engineer  being 
French.  Perhaps  the  missing  Scotch  engineer 
was  on  his  way  to  the  Pole,  in  order  to  be  found 
sitting  there  on  its  discovery  by (?) 

The  object  of  this  costly  journey  was  to  ascend 
the  rivers  La  Plata,  Paraguay  and  Alto  Para- 
guay, and  see  if  it  were  possible  to  establish  a 
port  and  town  in  Bolivian  territory  on  the  shores 
of  the  lake.  After  some  months  of  untiring 
energy  and  perseverance,  there  was  discovered  for 
Bolivia  a  fine  port,  with  depth  of  water  for  any 
)rdinary  river  steamer,  w^hich  will  now  be  known 
to  the  world  as  Puerto  Quijarro.  A  direct  fluvial 
route,  therefore,  exists  between  the  Atlantic  and 
this  far  inland  point. 

The  expedition  left  Buenos  Ayres,  the  capital 
of  the  Argentine  Republic.  Sailing  up  the 
western  bank  of  the  River  of  Silver,  we  entered 
the  Parana  River,  and  after  an  uneventful 
voyage  of  six  days,  passed  the  mouth  of  the 
River  of  Gold,  and  turned  into  the  Paraguay. 

Three  hundred  miles  up  the  Higher  Parana,  a 
mighty  stream  flowing  from  the  northeast,  which 
we  here  left  to  our  right,  are  the  Falls  of  Yguasti. 
These  falls  have  been  seen  by  few  white  men. 
The  land  on  each  side  of  the  river  is  infested  by 
the  Bugres  Indians,  a  tribe  of  cannibals,  of  ex- 
cessively ferocious  nature.  The  Falls  of  Big 
Water  must  be  the  largest  in  the  world — and  the 
writer  is  well  acquainted  with  Niagara. 

The  river,  over  two  and  a  half  miles  wide, 


Bolivia. 

containing  almost  as  much  water  as  all  the  rivers 
of  Europe  together,  rushes  between  perpendiculau 
cliffs.  With  a  current  of  forty  miles  an  hour,  and 
a  volume  of  water  that  cannot  be  less  than  a 
million  tons  a  minute,  the  mighty  torrent  rushes 
with  indescribable  fury  against  a  rocky  island 
which  separates  it  into  two  branches,  so  that  the 
total  width  is  about  two  miles  and  a  half.  The 
Brazilian  arm  of  the  river  forms  a  tremendous 
horseshoe  here,  and  plunges  with  a  deafening  roar 
into  the  abyss  two  hundred  and  thirteen  feet 
below.  The  Argentine  branch  spreads  out  in  a 
sort  of  amphitheatre  form,  and  finishes  with  one 
grand  leap  into  the  jagged  rocks,  more  than  two 
hundred  and  twenty-nine  feet  below,  making  the 
very  earth  vibrate,  while  spray,  rising  in  columns, 
is  visible  several  miles  distant. 

"  Below  the  island  the  two  arms  unite  and  flow 
on  into  the  Parana  Eiver.  From  the  Brazilian 
bank  the  spectator,  at  a  height  of  two  hundred 
and  eighty  feet,  gazes  out  over  two  and  a  half 
miles  of  some  of  the  wildest  and  most  fantastic 
water  scenery  he  can  ever  hope  to  see.  Waters 
stream,  seethe,  leap,  bound,  froth  and  foam, 
*  throwing  the  sweat  of  their  agony  high  in  the 
air,  and,  writhing,  twisting,  screaming  and  moan- 
ing, bear  off  to  the  Parana.'  Under  the  blue  vault 
of  the  sky,  this  sea  of  foam,  of  pearls,  of  iridescent 
dust,  bathes  the  great  background  in  a  shower  of 
beauty  that  all  the  more  adds  to  the  riot  of  trop- 
ical hues  already  there.  When  a  high  wind  is 
blowing,  the  roar  of  the  cataract  can  be  heard 
D*\arly  twenty  miles  away.    A  rough  estimate  of 

93 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

the  horse-power  represented  by  the  falls  is  four- 
teen million." 

Proceeding  up  the  Paraguay  River,  we  arrived 
at  Asuncion,  the  capital  of  Paraguay,  and 
anchored  in  a  beautiful  bay  of  the  river,  opposite 
the  city.  As  many  necessary  preparations  had 
still  to  be  made,  the  expedition  was  detained  in 
Asuncion  for  fifteen  days,  after  which  we  boarded 
the  8.S.  Leda,  for  the  second  stage  of  our  journey. 

Steaming  up  the  Alto  Paraguay,  we  passed 
the  orange  groves  of  that  sunny  land  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  river,  and  on  the  left  saw  the  encamp- 
ments of  the  Tobas  Indians.  The  dwellings  of 
these  people  are  only  a  few  branches  of  trees 
stuck  in  the  ground.  Further  on,  we  saw  the 
Chamococos  Indians,  a  fine  muscular  race  of  men 
and  women,  who  cover  their  bronze-colored  bodies 
with  the  oil  of  the  alligator,  and  think  a  covering 
half  the  size  of  a  pocket-handkerchief  quite  suflS- 
cient  to  hide  their  nakedness.  As  we  stayed  to 
take  in  wood,  I  tried  to  photograph  some  of  these, 
our  brothers  and  sisters,  but  the  camera  was 
nothing  but  an  object  of  dread  to  them.  One  old 
woman,  with  her  long,  black,  oily  hair  streaming 
in  the  breeze,  almost  withered  me  with  her  fiash- 
ing  eyes  and  barbarous  language,  until  I  blushed 
as  does  a  schoolboy  when  caught  in  the  act  of 
stealing  apples.    Nevertheless,  I  got  her  photo. 

The  Pilcomayo,  w^hich  empties  its  waters  into 
the  Paraguay,  is  one  of  the  most  mysterious  of 
rivers.  Rising  in  Bolivia,  its  course  can  be  traced 
down  for  some  considerable  distance,  when  it 
loses  itself  in  the  arid  wastes,  or,  as  some  main- 
tain, flows  underground.    Its  source  and  mouth 

94 


Bolivia. 

are  known,  but  for  many  miles  of  its  passage  it 
is  invisible.  Numerous  attempts  to  solve  its 
secrets  have  been  made.  They  have  almost  in- 
variably ended  disastrously.  The  Spanish  travel- 
ler, Ibarete,  set  out  with  high  hopes  to  travel 
along  its  banks,  but  he  and  seventeen  men  per- 
ished in  the  attempt.  Two  half-famished, 
prematurely-old,  broken  men  were  all  that  re- 
turned from  the  unknown  wilds.  The  Pilcomayo, 
which  has  proved  itself  the  river  of  death  to  so 
many  brave  men,  remains  to  this  day  unexplored. 
The  Indians  inhabiting  these  regions  are  savage 
in  the  extreme,  and  the  French  explorer,  Cre- 
veaux,  found  them  inhuman  enough  to  leave  him 
and  most  of  his  party  to  die  of  hunger.  The 
Tobas  and  the  Angaitaes  tribes  are  personally 
known  to  me,  and  I  speak  from  experience  when 
I  say  that  more  cruel  men  I  have  never  met.  The 
Argentine  Government,  after  twenty  years  of 
warfare  with  them,  was  compelled,  in  1900,  to 
withdraw  the  troops  from  their  outposts  and 
leave  the  savages  in  undisputed  possession.  If 
the  following  was  the  type  of  civilization  offered 
them,  then  they  are  better  left  to  themselves: 
"  Tw^o  hundred  Indians  who  have  been  made 
prisoners  are  compelled  to  he  baptized.  The 
ceremony  takes  place  in  the  presence  of  the  Gov> 
ernor  and  officials  of  the  district,  and  a  great 
crowd  of  spectators.  The  Indians  kneel  between 
two  rows  of  soldiers,  an  officer  with  drawn  sword 
compels  each  in  turn  to  open  his  mouth,  into 
which  a  second  officer  throws  a  handful  of  salt, 
amid  general  laughter  at  the  wry  faces  of  the 
Indians.    They  are  then  commanded  to  rise,  and 

95 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

each  receives  a  piece  of  paper  inscribed  with  his 
new  name,  and  — a  glass  of  rum."  What  coun- 
tries these  for  missionary  enterprise ! 

After  saiHng  for  eighteen  days  up  the  river, 
we  transhipped  into  a  smaller  steamer  going  to 
Bolivia.  Sailing  up  the  bay,  you  pass,  on  the 
south  shore,  a  small  Brazilian  customs  house, 
which  consists  of  a  square  roof  of  zinc,  without 
walls,  supported  on  four  posts,  standing  about 
two  meters  from  the  ground.  A  Brazilian, 
clothed  only  in  his  black  skin,  came  down  the 
house  ladder  and  stared  at  us  as  we  passed.  The 
compliment  was  returned,  although  we  had  be- 
come somewhat  accustomed  to  that  style  of  dress 
— or  undress.  A  little  farther  up  the  bay,  a 
white  stone  shone  out  in  the  sunlight,  marking 
the  Bolivian  boundary,  and  giving  the  name  of 
Piedra  Blanca  to  the  village.  This  landmark  is 
shaded  by  a  giant  tamarind  tree,  and  numerous 
barrel  trees,  or  j^ctlo  boracho,  grow  in  the  vicinity. 
In  my  many  wanderings  in  tropical  America,  I 
have  seen  numerous  strange  trees,  but  these  are 
extraordinarily  so.  The  trunk  comes  out  of  the 
ground  with  a  small  circumference,  then  gradu- 
ally widens  out  to  the  proportions  of  an  enor- 
mous barrel,  and  at  the  top  closes  up  to  the  two- 
foot  circumference  again.  Two  branches,  like 
giant  arms  spread  themselves  out  in  a  most 
weird-looking  manner  on  the  top  of  all.  About 
five  leaves  grow  on  each  bough,  and,  instinctively, 
you  consider  them  the  fingers  of  the  arms. 

In  the  water  were  numbers  of  cannibal  fish 
ready  to  jump  out  and  grab  your  hand  if  exposed 
and  equally  ready  to  eat  one  another. 

96 


Bolivia 

It  was  only  three  leagues  to  the  Bolivian  town 
of  Piedra  Blanca,  but  the  "  Bahia  do  Marengo  " 
took  three  hours  to  steam  the  short  distance,  for 
five  times  we  had  to  stop  on  the  way,  owing  to 
the  bearings  becoming  heated.  These  the  Bra- 
zilian engineer  cooled  with  pails  of  water. 

In  the  beautiful  Bay  of  Caceres,  much  of  which 
was  grown  over  with  lotus  and  Victoria  Regia, 
we  finally  anchored.  This  Bolivian  village  is 
about  eighteen  days'  sail  up  the  river  from 
Montevideo  on  the  seacoast. 

Chartering  the  "  General  Pando,"  a  steamer 
of  25  h.p.  and  70  ft.  long,  we  there  completed 
our  preparations,  and  finally  steamed  away  up 
the  Alto  Paraguay,  proudly  flying  the  Bolivian 
flag  of  red,  yellow,  and  green.  As  a  correct  plan 
of  the  river  had  to  be  drawn,  the  steamer  only 
travelled  by  day,  when  we  were  able  to  admire 
the  grandeur  of  the  scenery,  which  daily  grew 
wilder  as  the  mountains  vied  with  each  other  in 
lifting  their  rugged  peaks  toward  heaven.  From 
time  to  time  we  passed  one  of  the  numerous 
islands  the  Paraguay  is  noted  for.  These  are 
clothed  with  such  luxuriant  vegetation  that  noth- 
ing less  than  an  army  of  men  with  axes  could 
penetrate  them.  The  land  is  one  great,  wild, 
untidy,  luxuriant  hot-house,  "  built  by  nature  for 
herself."  The  puma,  jaguar  and  wildcat  are  here 
at  home,  besides  the  anaconda  and  boa  con- 
strictor, which  grow  to  enormous  lengths.  The 
Yaci  Ret^,  or  Island  of  the  Moon,  is  the  ideal 
haunt  of  the  jaguar,  and  as  we  passed  it  a  pair 
of  those  royal  beasts  were  playing  on  the  shore 
like  two  enormous  cats.  As  they  caught  sight  of 

97 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

us,  one  leapt  into  the  mangrove  swamp,  out  of 
sight,  and  the  other  took  a  plunge  into  the  river, 
only  to  rise  a  few  yards  distant  and  receive  an 
explosive  bullet  in  his  head.  The  mangrove  tree, 
with  its  twisting  limbs  and  bright  green  foliage, 
grows  in  the  warm  water  and  foetid  mud  of 
tropical  countries.  It  is  a  type  of  death,  for  pesti- 
lence hangs  round  it  like  a  cloud.  At  early  morn- 
ing this  cloud  is  a  very  visible  one.  The 
peculiarity  of  the  tree  is  that  its  hanging  branches 
themselves  take  root,  and,  nourished  by  such 
putrid  exhalations,  it  quickly  spre£|^ds. 

There  were  also  many  floating  islands  of  fan- 
tastic shape,  on  which  birds  rested  in  graceful 
pose.  We  saw  the  garza  blanca,  the  aigrets  of 
which  are  esteemed  by  royalty  and  commoner 
alike,  along  with  other  birds  new  and  strange. 
To  several  on  board  who  had  looked  for  years  on 
nothing  but  the  flat  Argentine  pampas,  this 
change  of  scenery  was  most  exhilarating,  and 
when  one  morning  the  sun  rose  behind  the 
"  Golden  Mountains,"  and  illuminated  peak  after 
peak,  the  effect  was  glorious.  So  startlingly 
grand  were  some  of  the  colors  that  our  artist 
more  than  once  said  he  dare  not  paint  them,  as 
the  world  would  think  that  his  coloring  was  not 
true  to  nature. 

Many  were  the  strange  sights  we  saw  on  the 
shore.  Once  we  were  amused  at  the  ludicrous 
spectacle  of  a  large  bird  of  the  stork  family, 
which  had  built  its  nest  in  a  tree  almost  over- 
hanging the  river.  The  nest  was  a  collection  of 
reeds  and  feathers,  having  two  holes  in  the  bot- 
tom, through  which  the  legs  of  the  bird  were 

98 


Bolivia. 

hanging.  The  feet,  suspended  quite  a  yard  belovv 
the  nest,  made  one  wonder  how  the  bird  could 
rise  from  its  sitting  position. 

Every  sight  the  traveller  sees,  however,  is  not 
so  amusing.  As  darkness  creeps  over  earth  and 
sky,  and  the  pale  moonbeams  shed  a  fitful  light, 
it  is  most  pathetic  to  see  on  the  shore  the  dead 
trunk  and  limbs  of  a  tree,  in  the  branches  of 
which  has  been  constructed  a  rude  platform,  on 
which  some  dark-minded  Indian  has  reverently 
lifted  the  dead  body  of  his  comrade.  The  night 
wind,  stirring  the  dry  bones  and  whistling 
through  the  empty  skull,  makes  weird  music ! 

The  banks  of  the  stream  had  gradually  come 
nearer  and  nearer  to  us,  and  the  great  river, 
stretching  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  width 
where  it  pours  its  volume  of  millions  of  tons  of 
water  into  the  sea  at  Montevideo,  was  here  a 
silver  ribbon,  not  half  a  mile  across. 

Far  be  it  from  me  to  convey  the  idea  that  life 
in  those  latitudes  is  Eden.  The  mosquitos  and 
other  insects  almost  drive  one  mad.  The  country 
may  truly  be  called  a  naturalists'  paradise,  for 
butterflies,  beetles,  and  creeping  things  are  mul- 
titudinous, but  the  climate,  with  its  damp,  sickly 
heat,  is  wholly  unsuited  to  the  Anglo-Saxon. 
Day  after  day  the  sun  in  all  his  remorseless 
strength  blazes  upon  the  earth,  is  if  desirous  of 
setting  the  whole  world  on  fire.  The  thermometer 
in  the  shade  registered  110,  112  and  114  degrees 
Fahrenheit,  and  on  one  or  two  memorable  days 
118  degrees.  The  heat  in  our  little  saloon  at 
times  rose  as  high  as  130  degrees,  and  the  per- 
spiration poured  down  in  streams  on  our  almost 

99 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback, 

naked  bodies.     We  seemed  to  be  running  right 
into  the  brazen  sun  itself. 

One  morning  the  man  on  the  look-out  descried 
deer  on  the  starboard  bow,  and  arms  were  quickly 
brought  out,  ready  for  use.  Our  French  hunter 
was  just  taking  aim  when  it  struck  me  that  the 
deer  moved  in  a  strange  way.  I  immediately 
asked  him  to  desist.  Those  dark  forms  in  the  long 
grass  seemed,  to  my  somewhat  trained  eyes,  naked 
Indians,  and  as  we  drew  nearer  to  them  so  it 
proved,  and  the  man  was  thankful  he  had  with- 
held his  fire. 

After  steaming  for  some  distance  up  the  river 
several  dug-outs,  filled  with  Guatos  Indians, 
paddled  alongside  us.  An  early  traveller  in  those 
head- waters  wrotes  of  these:  "Some  of  the 
smaller  tribes  were  but  a  little  removed  from  the 
wild  brutes  of  their  own  jungles.  The  lowest  in 
the  scale,  perhaps,  were  the  Guatos,  who  dwell  to 
the  north  of  the  Rio  Apa.  This  tribe  consisted  of 
less  than  one  hundred  persons,  and  they  were  as 
unapproachable  as  wild  beasts.  No  other  person, 
Indian  or  foreigner,  could  ever  come  near  but 
they  would  fly  and  hide  in  impenetrable  jungles. 
They  had  no  written  language  of  their  own,  and 
lived  like  unreasoning  animals,  without  laws  or 
religion." 

The  Guato  Indian  seems  now  to  be  a  tame  and 
inoffensive  creature,  but  well  able  to  strike  a  bar- 
gain in  the  sale  of  his  dug-out  canoes,  home-made 
guitars  and  other  curios.  In  the  wobbling  canoe 
they  are  very  dexterous,  as  also  in  the  use  of  their 
long  bows  and  arrows;  the  latter  have  points  of 
sharpened  bone.    When  hungry,  they  hunt  or  fish. 

100 


Bolivia. 

When  thirsty,  they  drink  from  the  river;  and  if 
they  wish  clothing,  wild  cotton  grows  in  abun- 
dance. 

These  Indians,  living,  as  they  do,  along  the 
banks  of  the  river  and  streams,  have  recently 
been  frequently  visited  by  the  white  man  on  his 
passage  along  those  natural  highways.  It  is,  there- 
fore superfluous  for  me  to  add  that  they  are  now 
correspondingly  demoralized.  It  is  a  most  humili- 
ating fact  that  just  in  proportion  as  the  paleface 
advances  into  lands  hitherto  given  up  to  the 
Indian  so  those  races  sink.  This  degeneration 
showed  itself  strikingly  among  the  Guatos  in 
their  inordinate  desire  for  cachaca,  or  "fire- 
water." Although  extremely  cautious  and  wary 
in  their  exchanges  to  us,  refusing  to  barter  a  bow 
and  arrows  for  a  shirt,  yet,  for  a  bottle  of  cach- 
aca, they  would  gladly  have  given  even  one  of 
their  canoes.  These  ketchiveyos,  twenty  or 
twenty-five  feet  long  by  about  twenty  inches  wide, 
they  hollow  from  the  trunk  of  the  cedar,  or 
lapacho  tree.  This  is  done  with  great  labor  and 
skill;  yet,  as  I  have  said,  they  were  boisterously 
eager  to  exchange  this  week's  work  for  that  which 
they  knew  would  lead  them  to  fight  and  kill  one 
another. 

As  a  mark  of  special  favor,  the  chief  invited  me 
to  their  little  village,  a  few  miles  distant.  Step- 
ping into  one  of  their  canoes — a  large,  very  nar- 
row boat,  made  of  one  tree-trunk  hollowed  out  by 
fire — I  was  quickly  paddled  by  three  naked 
Indians  up  a  narrow  creek,  which  was  almost 
covered  with  lotus.  The  savages,  standing  in  the 
canoe,  worked  the  paddles  with  a  grace  and  ele- 

101 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

gance  which  the  civilized  man  would  fail  to 
acquire,  and  the  narrow  craft  shot  through  the 
water  at  great  speed.  The  chief  sat  in  silence  at 
the  stern.  I  occupied  a  palm-fibre  mat  spread  for 
me  amidships.  The  very  few  words  of  Portu- 
guese my  companions  spoke  or  understood  ren- 
dered conversation  difficult,  so  the  stillness  was 
broken  only  by  the  gentle  splash  of  the  paddles. 
On  each  side  the  dense  forest  seemed  absolutely 
impenetrable,  but  we  at  last  arrived  at  on  open- 
ing. As  we  drew  ashore  I  noticed  that  an  Indian 
path  led  directly  inland. 

Leaving  our  dug-out  moored  with  a  fibre  rope 
to  a  large  mangrove  tree,  we  started  to  thread  our 
way  through  the  forest,  and  finally  reached  a 
clearing.  Here  we  came  upon  a  crowd  of  almost 
naked  and  extremely  dejected-looking  women. 
Many  of  these,  catching  sight  of  me,  sped  into  the 
jungle  like  frightened  deer.  The  chiefs  wife, 
however,  at  a  word  from  him,  received  me  kindly, 
and  after  accepting  a  brass  necklace  with  evident 
pleasure,  showed  herself  very  affable.  Poor  lost 
Guatos !  Their  dejected  countenances,  miserable 
grass  huts,  alive  with  vermin,  and  their  extreme 
poverty,  were  most  touching.  Inhabiting,  as  they 
do,  one  of  the  hottest  and  dampest  places  on  the 
earth's  surface,  where  mosquitos  are  numberless, 
the  wonder  is  that  they  exist  at  all.  Truly,  man 
is  a  strange  being,  who  can  adapt  himself  to 
equatorial  heat  or  polar  frigidity.  The  Guatos' 
chief  business  in  life  seemed  to  consist  in  sitting 
on  fibre  mats  spread  on  the  ground,  and  driving 
away  the  bloodthirsty  mosquitos  from  their  bare 
backs.    For  this  they  use  a  fan  of  their  own  manu- 

102 


Bolivia. 

facture,  made  from  wild  cotton,  which  there 
seems  to  abound.  Writing  of  mosquitos,  let  me 
say  these  Indian  specimens  were  a  terror  to  us 
all.  What  numbers  we  killed!  I  could  write 
this  account  in  their  blood.  It  was  my  blood, 
though — before  they  got  it!  Men  who  hunt  the 
tiger  in  cool  bravery  boiled  with  indignation 
before  these  awful  pests,  which  stabbed  and 
stung  with  marvellous  persistency,  and  disturbed 
the  solitude  of  nature  with  their  incessant  hum- 
ming. I  write  the  word  incessant  advisedly,  for 
I  learned  that  there  are  several  kinds  of  mos- 
quitos. Some  work  by  day  and  others  by  night. 
Naturalists  tell  us  that  only  the  female  mosquito 
bites.  Did  they  take  a  particular  liking  to  us 
because  we  were  all  males? 

Some  of  the  Indians  paint  their  naked  bodies  in 
squares,  generally  with  red  and  black  pigment. 
Their  huts  were  in  some  cases  large,  but  very 
poorly  constructed.  When  any  members  of  the 
tribe  are  taken  sick  they  are  supposed  to  be 
"  possessed  "  by  a  stronger  evil  power,  and  the 
sickness  is  "  starved  out."  When  the  malady 
flies  away  the  life  generally  accompanies  it.  The 
dead  are  buried  under  the  earth  inside  the  huts, 
and  in  some  of  the  dwellings  graves  are  quite 
numerous.  This  custom  of  interior  burial  has 
probably  been  adopted  because  the  wild  animals 
of  the  forest  would  otherwise  eat  the  corpse.  Hor- 
rible to  relate,  their  own  half-wild  dogs  sometimes 
devour  the  dead,  though  an  older  member  of  the 
tribe  is  generally  left  home  to  mount  guard, 

Seeing    by    the   numerous    gourds    scattered 
around  that  they  were  drinking  chicha,  I  solicited 

103 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

some,  being  anxious  to  taste  the  beverage  wliicls 
had  been  used  so  many  centuries  before  by  the 
old  Incas.  The  wife  of  the  chief  immediately 
tore  off  a  branch  of  the  feather  palm  growing 
beside  her,  and,  certainly  within  a  minute,  made 
a  basket,  into  which  she  placed  a  small  gourd. 
Going  to  the  other  side  of  the  clearing,  she  com- 
menced, with  the  agility  of  a  monkey,  to  ascend 
a  long  sapling  which  had  been  laid  in  a  slanting 
position  against  a  tall  palm  tree.  The  long, 
graceful  leaves  of  this  cabbage  palm  had  been 
torn  open,  and  the  heart  thus  left  to  ferment. 
From  the  hollow  cabbage  the  woman  filled  the 
gourd,  and  lowered  it  to  me  by  a  fibre  rope.  The 
liquid  I  found  to  be  thick  and  milky,  and  the 
taste  not  unlike  cider. 

Prescott  tells  us  that  Atahuallpa,  the  Peru- 
vian monarch,  came  to  see  the  conqueror,  Pizarro, 
•'quaffing  chicha  from  golden  goblets  borne  by  his 
attendants."*  Golden  goblets  did  not  mean  much 
to  King  Atahuallpa,  however,  for  his  palace  of 
five  hundred  different  apartments  is  said  to  have 
been  tiled  with  beaten  gold. 

In  these  Guato  Indians  I  observed  a  marked 
difference  to  any  others  I  had  visited,  in  that 
they  permitted  the  hair  to  grow  on  their  faces. 
The  chief  was  of  quite  patriarchal  aspect,  with 
full  beard  and  mild,  intelligent-looking  eyes.  The 
savages  inhabiting  the  Chaco  consider  this  cus- 
tom extremely  "  dirty." 

•Bste  Embajador  trala  servlclo  de  Senor,  1  clnco  o  sels 
Vasos  de  Oro  flno,  con  Que  bebia,  i  con  elloa  daba  a  beber  a 
los  Espanoles  de  la  chicha  que  trala." — Xerez. 

104 


Bolivia. 

Before  leaving  these  people  I  procured  some  of 
their  bows  and  arrows,  and  also  several  cleverly 
woven  palm  mats  and  cotton  fans. 

Some  liquor  our  cook  gave  away  had  been 
taken  out  by  the  braves  to  their  women  in  another 
encampment.  These  spirits  had  so  inflamed  the 
otherwise  retiring,  modest  females  that  they,  with 
the  men,  returned  to  the  steamer,  clamoring  for 
more.  All  the  stores,  along  with  some  liquors  we 
carried,  were  under  my  care,  and  I  kept  them 
securely  locked  up,  but  in  my  absence  at  the 
Indian  camp  the  store-room  had  been  broken 
open,  and  our  men  and  the  Indians — men  and 
women — had  drunk  long  and  deep.  A  scene  like 
Bedlam,  or  Dante's  "  Inferno,"  was  taking  place 
when  I  returned.  Willing  as  they  were  to  listen 
to  my  counsel  and  admit  that  I  was  certainly  a 
great  white  teacher,  with  superior  wisdom,  on 
this  love  for  liquor  and  its  debasing  consequences 
they  would  hear  no  words.  The  women  and  girls, 
like  the  men,  would  clamor  for  the  raw  alcohol, 
and  gulp  it  down  in  long  draughts.  When  ar- 
dent spirits  are  more  sought  after  by  women  and 
girls  than  are  beads  and  looking-glasses  it  surely 
shows  a  terribly  depraved  taste.  Even  the  chat- 
tering monkeys  in  the  trees  overhead  would  spurn 
the  poison  and  eagerly  clutch  the  bright  trinket. 
Perhaps  the  looking-glasses  I  gave  the  poor 
females  would,  after  the  orgies  were  over,  serve 
to  show  them  that  their  beauty  was  not  in- 
creased by  this  beastly  carousal,  and  thus 
be  a  means  of  blessing.  It  may  be  asked. 
Can  the  savage  be  possessed  of  pride  and 
of    self-esteem?    I    unhesitatingly    answer  yes^ 

105 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

as  I  have  had  abundant  opportunity  of  see- 
ing. They  will  strut  with  peacock  pride  when 
wearing  a  specially  gaudy-colored  headdress, 
although  that  may  be  their  only  article  of  attire. 

Having  on  board  far  more  salt  than  we  our- 
selves needed,  I  was  enabled  to  generously  distri- 
bute much  of  that  invaluable  commodity  among 
them.  That  also,  working  in  a  different  way, 
might  be  a  means  of  restoring  them  to  a  normal 
soundness  of  mind  after  we  left. 

Poor  lost  creatures!  For  this  draught  of  the 
white  man's  poison,  far  more  terrible  to  them 
than  the  deadly  nightshade  of  their  forests,  more 
dangerous  than  the  venom  of  the  loathsome  ser- 
pent gliding  across  their  path,  they  are  willing  to 
sell  body  or  soul.  Soul,  did  I  say?  They  have 
never  heard  of  that.  To  them,  so  far  as  I  could 
ascertain,  a  future  life  is  unknown.  The  explorer 
has  penetrated  some  little  way  into  their  dark 
forests  in  search  of  rubber,  or  anything  else 
which  it  would  pay  to  exploit,  but  the  missionary 
of  the  Cross  has  never  sought  to  illumine  their 
darker  minds.  They  live  their  little  day  and  go 
out  into  the  unknown  unconscious  of  the  fact  that 
One  called  Jesus,  who  was  the  Incarnate  God, 
died  to  redeem  them.  As  a  traveller,  I  have  often 
wondered  why  men  should  be  willing  to  pay  me 
hundreds  of  dollars  to  explore  those  regions  for 
ultimate  worldly  gain,  and  none  should  ever  offer 
to  employ  me  in  proclaiming  the  greatest  wonder 
of  all  the  ages — the  story  of  Calvary — for  eternal 
gain.  After  all,  are  the  Indians  more  blind  to  the 
future  than  we  are?  Yet,  strange  to  say,  we  pro- 
fess to  believe  in  the  teachings  of  that  One  who  in- 

106 


Bolivia. 

culcated  the  practice  of  laying  up  treasure  in 
heaven,  while  they  have  not  even  heard  His  name. 
For  love  of  gain  men  have  been  willing  to  accom- 
pany me  through  the  most  deadly  fever-breeding 
morass,  or  to  brave  the  poisoned  arrows  of  the 
lynx-eyed  Indian,  but  few  have  ever  offered  to  go 
and  tell  of  Him  whom  they  profess  to  serve. 

In  Christendom  organs  peal  out  the  anthems  of 
Divine  love,  and  well-dressed  worshippers  chant 
in  harmonious  unison,  "Lord,  incline  our  hearts 
to  keep  Thy  law."  That  law  says:  "Thou  shalt 
love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  To  the  question: 
"Who  is  my  neighbor?"  the  Divine  voice  answers : 
"A  certain  man."  May  he  not  be  one  of  these 
neglected  Indians? 

The  suffocating  atmosphere  quite  precluded 
the  idea  of  writing,  for  a  pen,  dipped  in  ink, 
would  dry  before  reaching  the  paper,  and  the 
latter  be  saturated  with  perspiration  in  a  few 
seconds ;  so  these  observations  were  penned  later. 


107 


CHAPTER  VI. 
ARRIVAL  AT  THE  LAKE, 

"  It  sleeps  among  a  hundred  hills 
Where  no  man  ever  trod, 
And  only  Nature's  music  fills 
The  silences  of  God." 

Afteb  going  about  two  thousand  three  hun- 
dred miles  up  this  serpentine  river,  we  discovered 
the  entrance  to  the  lake.  Many  had  been  the 
conjectures  and  counsels  of  would-be  advisers 
when  we  started.  Some  said  that  there  was  no 
entrance  to  the  lake  from  the  river;  others,  that 
there  was  not  sufficient  depth  of  water  for  the 
steamer  to  pass  through.  On  our  port  bow  rose 
frowning  rocks  of  forbidding  aspect.  Drawing 
nearer,  we  noticed,  with  mingled  feelings  of 
curiosity  and  wonder,  that  the  face  of  these  rocks 
was  rudely  carved  by  unmistakably  Indian  art. 
There  were  portrayed  a  rising  sun,  tigers'  feet, 
birds'  feet,  etc.  Why  were  they  thus  carved? 
Are  those  rocks  the  everlasting  recorders  of  some 
old  history — some  deed  of  Indian  daring  in  days 
of  old?  What  these  hieroglyphics  signify  we  may 
never  know ;  the  workman  is  gone,  and  his  stone 
hammer  is  buried  with  him.  To  twentieth  cen- 
tury civilization  his  carving  tells  nothing.  No 
Indians  inhabit  the  shores  of  the  lake  now,  per- 
haps because  of  this  "  writing  on  the  wall." 

109 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

With  the  leadsman  in  his  place  we  slowly  and 
cautiously  entered  the  unexplored  lake,  and  thus 
for  the  first  time  in  the  world's  history  its  waters 
were  ploughed  by  a  steamer's  keel. 

Soon  after  our  arrival  the  different  guards 
were  told  off  for  the  silent  watches.  Night  shut 
in  upon  the  lake,  and  all  nature  slept.  The  only 
lights  on  shore  were  those  of  the  fire-flies  as  they 
danced  through  the  myrtle  boughs.  The  stars  in 
the  heavens  twinkled  above  us.  "Now  and  again 
an  alligator  thrust  his  huge,  agly  nose  out 
of  the  water  and  yawned,  thus  disturbing  for 
the  moment  its  placid  surface,  which  the  pale 
moon  illuminated  with  an  ethereal  light;  other 
wise  stillness  reigned,  or,  rather,  a  calm  mys- 
terious peace  which  was  deep  and  profound. 
Somehow,  the  feeling  crept  upon  us  that  we  had 
become  detached  from  the  world,  though  yet  wo 
lived.  Afterwards,  when  the  tigers*  on  shore 
had  scented  our  presence,  sleep  was  often  broken 
by  angry  roars  coming  from  the  beach,  near 
which  we  lay  at  anchor;  but  before  dawn  our 
noisy  visitors  always  departed,  leaving  only  their 
footprints.  Early  next  morning,  while  the  green 
moon  was  still  shining  (the  color  of  this  heavenly 
orb  perplexed  us,  it  was  a  pure  bottle  green), 
each  one  arose  to  his  work.  This  was  no  pleasure 
excursion,  and  duties,  many  and  arduous,  lay 
before  the  explorers.  The  hunter  sallied  forth 
with  his  gun,  and  returned  laden  with  pheasant 
and  mountain  hen,  and  over  his  shoulder  a  fine 
duck,  which,  unfortunately,  however,  had  already 
begun  to  smell — the  heat  was  so  intense     In  his 

*Jaguars  are  invariably  caUed  tigers  In  South  America. 

110 


Bolivia. 

wanderings  he  had  come  upon  a  huge  tapir,  half 
eaten  by  a  tiger,  and  saw  footprints  of  that  lord 
of  the  forest  in  all  directions. 

Let  me  here  say,  that  to  our  hunter  we  were 
indebted  for  many  a  good  dish,  and  when  not 
after  game  he  lured  from  the  depths  of  the  lake 
many  a  fine  perch  or  turbot.  Fishing  is  an  art 
in  which  I  am  not  very  skilled,  but  one  even- 
ing I  borrowed  his  line.  After  a  few  moments' 
waiting  I  had  a  "bite,"  and  commenced  to  haul 
in  my  catch,  which  struggled,  kicked,  and  pulled 
until  I  shouted  for  help.  My  fish  was  one  of  our 
Paraguayan  sailors,  who  for  sport  had  slipped 
down  into  the  water  on  the  other  side  of  the 
steamer,  and,  diving  to  my  cord,  had  grasped  it 
with  both  hands.    Not  every  fisher  catches  a  man  I 

Lake  Gaiba  is  a  stretch  of  water  ten  miles  long, 
with  a  narrow  mouth  opening  into  the  River 
Paraguay.  The  lake  is  surrounded  by  mountains, 
clad  in  luxuriant  verdure  on  the  Bolivian  side, 
and  standing  out  in  bare,  rugged  lines  on  the 
Brazilian  side.  The  boundary  of  the  two  coun- 
tries cuts  the  water  into  two  unequal  halves.  The 
most  prominent  of  the  mountains  are  now  marked 
upon  the  exhaustive  chart  drawn  out.  Their 
christening  has  been  a  tardy  one,  for  who 
can  tell  what  ages  have  passed  since  they  first 
came  into  being?  Looking  at  Mount  Ray,  the 
highest  of  these  peaks,  at  sunset,  the  eye  is 
startled  by  the  strange  hues  and  rich  tints  there 
reflected.  Frequently  we  asked  ourselves:  "Is 
that  the  sun's  radiance,  or  are  those  rocks  the 
fabled  *  Cliffs  of  Opal '  men  have   searched  for 

in  vain?"     We  often  sat  in  a  wonder  of  delight 

111 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

gazing  at  the  scene,  until  the  sun  sank  out  of 
sight,  taking  the  "opal  cliffs"  with  it.  and  leaving 
us  only  with  the  dream. 

On  the  shores  of  the  lake  the  beach  is  covered 
with  golden  sand  and  studded  with  innumerable 
little  stones,  clear  as  crystal,  which  scintillate 
with  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow.  Among  these 
pebbles  I  found  several  arrowheads  of  jasper. 
In  other  parts  the  primeval  forest  creeps  down 
to  the  very  margin,  and  the  tree-roots  bathe  in 
the  warm  waters.  Looking  across  the  quivering 
heat-haze,  the  eye  rests  upon  palms  of  many 
varieties,  and  giant  trees  covered  with  orchids 
and  parasites,  the  sight  of  which  would  com 
pletely  intoxicate  the  horticulturist.  Butterflies, 
gorgeous  in  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow,  flit  from 
flower  to  flower;  and  monkeys,  with  curiously 
human  faces,  stare  at  the  stranger  from  the  tree 
tops.  White  cotton  trees,  tamarinds,  and 
strangely  shaped  fruits  grow  everywhere,  and 
round  about  all  are  entwined  festoons  of  trailing 
creepers,  or  the  loveliest  of  scarlet  mistletoe,  in 
which  humming-birds  build  their  nests.  Blue 
macaws,  parrots,  and  a  thousand  other  birds  fly 
to  and  fro,  and  the  black  fire-bird  darts  across 
the  sky,  making  lightning  with  every  flutter  of 
his  wings,  which,  underneath,  are  painted  a 
bright,  vivid  red.  Serpents  of  all  colors  and 
sizes  creep  silently  in  the  undergrowth,  or  hang 
from  the  branches  of  the  trees,  their  emerald 
eyes  ever  on  the  alert;  and  the  broad-winged 
eagle  soars  above  all,  conscious  of  his  majesty. 

Here  and  there  the  coast  is  broken  by  silent 
streams  flowing  into  the  lake  from  the  unex 

112 


Bolivia. 

plored  regions  beyond.  These  riachos  are  covered 
with  lotus  leaves  and  flowers,  and  also  the  Vic- 
toria Regia  in  all  its  gorgeous  beauty.  Papy- 
rusa,  reeds  and  aquatic  plants  of  all  descriptions 
grow  on  the  banks  of  the  streams,  making  a  home 
for  the  white  stork  or  whiter  garza  Looking 
into  the  clear  warm  waters  you  see  little  golden 
and  red  fishes,  and  on  the  bed  of  the  stream 
shells  of  pearl. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  Gaiba,  at  the  foot  of 
the  mountains,  the  beach  slopes  gently  down, 
and  is  covered  with  golden  sand,  in  which 
crystals  sparkle  as  though  set  in  fine  gold  by 
some  cunning  workman.  A  Workman,  yes — but 
not  of  earth,  for  nature  is  here  untouched,  un- 
spoilt as  yet  by  man,  and  the  traveller  can  look 
right  away  from  it  to  its  Creator. 

During  our  stay  in  these  regions  the  courses  of 
several  of  the  larger  streams  were  traced  for 
some  distance.  On  the  Brazilian  side  there  was 
a  river  up  which  we  steamed.  Not  being  ac- 
quainted with  the  channel,  we  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  stick  for  two  days  on  a  tosca  reef;, 
which  extended  a  distance  of  sixty- five  feet.* 
During  this  time,  a  curious  phenomenon  pre- 
sented itself  to  our  notice.  In  one  day  we  clearly 
saw  the  river  flow  for  six  hours  to  the  north-west, 
and  for  another  six  hours  to  the  south-east.  This, 
of  course,  proved  to  us  that  the  river's  course 
depends  on  the  wind. 

On  the  bank,  right  in  front  of  where  we  lay, 
was  a  gnarled  old  tree,  which  seemed  to  be  the 

•The  finding  of  tosca  at  this  point  confirms  the  extent  In- 
land of  the  ancient  Pampean  sea. — Colonel  Church,  In  "  Pro- 
ceedings of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society,"  January,  1902. 

113 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

home,  or  parliament  house,  of  all  the  paroquets 
in  the  neighborhood.  Scores  of  them  l^ept  up 
an  incessant  chatter  the  whole  time.  In  the  tree 
were  two  or  three  hanging  nests,  looking  like 
large  sacks  suspended  from  the  boughs.  Ten 
or  twenty  birds  lay  in  the  same  nest,  and  you 
might  find  in  them,  at  the  one  time,  eggs  just 
laid,  birds  recently  hatched,  and  others  ready 
to  fly.  Sitting  and  rearing  go  on  concurrently. 
I  procured  a  tame  pair  of  this  lovely  breed  of 
paroquets  from  the  Guatos.  Their  prevailing 
color  was  emerald  green,  while  the  wings  and  tail 
were  made  up  of  tints  of  orange,  scarlet,  and 
blue,  and  around  the  back  of  the  bird  was  a 
golden  sheen  rarely  found  even  In  equatorial 
specimens.  Whether  the  bird  is  known  to  orni- 
thologists or  not  I  cannot  tell.  One  night  our 
camp  was  pitched  near  an  anthill,  inhabited  by 
innumerable  millions  of  those  insects.  None  of 
us  slept  well,  for,  although  our  hammocks  were 
slung,  as  we  thought,  away  from  them,  they 
troubled  us  much.  What  was  my  horror  next 
morning  when  the  sun,  instead  of  lighting  up  the 
rainbow  tints  of  my  birds,  showed  only  a  black 
moving  mass  of  ants!  My  parrots  had  literally 
been  eaten  alive  by  them ! 

But  I  am  wandering  on  and  the  ship  is  still 
aground  on  the  reef!  After  much  hauling  and 
pulling  and  breaking  of  cables,  she  at  last  was 
got  off  into  deep  water.  We  had  not  proceeded 
far,  however,  when  another  shock  made  the  vessel 
quiver.  Were  we  aground  again?  No,  the  steam- 
er had  simply  pushed  a  lazy  alligator  out  of  its 

114 


Bolivia. 

way,  and  he  resented  the  insult  by  a  diabolical 
scowl  at  us. 

Continuing  on  our  way,  we  entered  another 
Dody  of  hitherto  unexplored  water,  a  fairy  spot, 
covered  with  floating  islands  of  lotus,  anchored 
with  aquatic  cables  and  surrounded  by  palm 
groves.  On  the  shallow,  pebbly  shore  might  be 
seen,  here  and  there,  scarlet  flamingoes.  These 
beautiful  birds  stood  on  one  leg^  knee  deep, 
dreaming  of  their  enchanted  home.  Truly  it  is 
a  perfect  paradise,  but  it  is  almost  as  inaccessible 
as  the  Paradise  which  we  all  seek.  What  long- 
lost  civilizations  have  ruled  these  now  deserted 
solitudes?  Penetrate  into  the  dark,  dank  forest, 
as  I  have  done,  and  ask  the  question.  The  only 
answer  is  the  howling  of  the  monkeys  and  the 
screaming  of  the  cockatoos.  You  may  start  when 
you  distinctly  hear  a  bell  tolling,  but  it  is  no  call 
to  worship  in  some  stately  old  Inca  temple  with 
its  golden  sun  and  silver  moon  as  deities.  It  is 
the  wonderful  bell-bird,  which  can  make  itself 
heard  three  miles  away,  but  it  is  found  only 
where  man  is  not.  Ruins  of  the  old  Incan  and 
older  pre-Incan  civilizations  are  come  across, 
covered  now  with  dense  jungle,  but  their  builders 
have  disappeared.  To  have  left  behind  them 
until  this  day  ruins  which  rank  with  the  pyra- 
mids for  extent,  and  Karnak  for  grandeur, 
proves  their  intelligence. 

The  peculiar  rasping  noise  you  now  hear  in  the 
undergrowth  has  nothing  to  do  with  busy  civiliza- 
tion— 'tis  only  the  rattlesnake  drawing  his  slimy 
length  among  the  dead  leaves  or  tangled  reeds. 
No,  all  that  is  past,  and  this  is  an  old  new  world 

115 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

indeed,  and  romance  must  not  rob  you  of  self 
possession,  for  the  rattle  means  that  in  the  en- 
counter either  he  dies — or  you. 

Meanwhile  the  work  on  shore  progressed.  Paths 
were  cut  in  different  directions  and  the  wonders 
of  nature  laid  bare.  The  ring  of  the  axe  and 
the  sound  of  falling  trees  marked  the  commence- 
ment of  civilization  in  those  far-off  regions.  Ever 
and  anon  a  loud  report  rang  out  from  the  woods, 
for  it  might  almost  be  said  that  the  men  worked 
with  the  axe  in  one  hand  and  a  rifle  in  the  other. 
Once  they  started  a  giant  tapir  taking  his  after- 
noon snooze.  The  beast  lazily  got  up  and  made  off, 
but  not  before  he  had  turned  his  piercing  eyes  on 
the  intruders,  as  though  wondering  what  new 
animals  they  were.  Surely  this  was  his  first 
sight  of  the  "  lords  of  creation,"  and  probably  his 
last,  for  a  bullet  quickly  whizzed  after  him. 
Another  day  the  men  shot  a  puma  searching  for 
its  prey,  and  numerous  were  the  birds,  beasts  and 
reptiles  that  fell  before  our  arms.  The  very 
venomous  jaracucu,  a  snake  eight  to  twelve  feet 
long,  having  a  double  row  of  teeth  in  each  jaw,  is 
quite  common  here. 

The  forests  are  full  of  birds  and  beasts  in 
infinite  variety,  as  also  of  those  creatures  which 
seem  neither  bird  nor  beast.  There  are  large 
black  howling  monkeys,  and  little  black-faced 
ones  with  prehensile  tails,  by  means  of  which 
they  swing  in  mid-air  or  jump  from  tree  to  tree  in 
sheer  lightness  of  heart.  There  is  also  the  sloth, 
which,  as  its  name  implies,  is  painfully  deliberate 
in  its  motions.  Were  I  a  Scotchman  I  should 
say  that  "  I  dinna  think  that  in  a'  nature  there  is 

116 


Bolivia. 

a  mair  cuHouser  cratur."  Sidney  Smith's  sum- 
mary of  this  strange  animal  is  that  it  moves  sus- 
pended, rests  suspended,  sleeps  suspended,  and 
passes  its  whole  life  in  suspense.  This  latter 
state  may  also  aptly  describe  the  condition  of  the 
traveller  in  those  regions ;  for  man,  brave  though 
he  may  be,  does  not  relish  a  vis-d-vis  with  the 
enormous  anaconda,  also  to  be  seen  there  at  most 
inconvenient  times.  I  was  able  to  procure  the 
skins  of  two  of  these  giant  serpents  and  possess 
a  photo  of  one  monster  thirty-four  feet  long.  These 
snakes  are  credited  with  having  swallowed  grown 
persons,  and  the  writer  has  seen  an  actual  photo- 
graph of  one  with  an  entire  deer  inside  of  it. 
The  outlines  of  this  deer  could  plainly  be  seen. 
These  snakes  will,  however,  draw  their  slimy 
length  away  from  you. 

Taking  into  consideration  the  wild  country, 
and  the  adventurous  mission  which  had  brought 
us  together,  our  men  were  not  at  all  a  bad  class. 
One  of  them,  however,  a  black  Brazilian,  used 
to  boast  at  times  that  he  had  killed  his  father 
while  he  slept.  In  the  quiet  of  the  evening  hour 
he  would  relate  the  story  with  unnatural  gusto. 

We  generally  slept  on  the  deck  of  the  steamer, 
each  under  a  thin  netting,  while  the  millions  of 
mosquitos  buzzed  outside — and  inside  when  they 
could  steal  a  march.  Mosquitos?  Why  "mos- 
quitos a  la  Paris"  was  one  of  the  items  on  our 
menu  one  day.  The  course  was  not  altogether  an 
imaginary  one  either.  Having  the  good  fortune 
to  possess  candles,  I  used  sometimes  to  read  un- 
der my  gauzy  canopy.    This  would  soon  become 

117 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

so  black  with  insects  of  all  descriptions  as  to 
shut  out  from  my  sight  the  outside  world. 

After  carefully  surveying  the  Bolivian  shore, 
we  fixed  upon  a  site  for  the  future  port  and 
town.*  Planting  a  hugh  palm  in  the  ground, 
with  a  long  bamboo  nailed  to  the  crown,  we  then 
solemnly  unfurled  the  Bolivian  flag  This  had 
been  made  expressly  for  the  expedition  by  the 
hands  of  Senora  Quijarro,  wife  of  the  Bolivian 
minister  residing  in  Buenos  Ayres  As  the  sun 
for  the  first  time  shone  upon  the  brilliant  colors 
of  the  flag,  nature's  stillness  was  broken  by  a 
good  old  English  hurrah,  while  the  hunter  and 
several  others  discharged  their  arms  in  the  air, 
until  the  parrots  and  monkeys  in  the  neighbor- 
hood must  have  wondered  (or  is  wondering  only 
reserved  for  civilized  man?)  what  new  thing  had 
come  to  pass.  There  we,  a  small  company  of 
men  in  nature's  solitudes,  each  signed  his  name 
to  the  Act  of  Foundation  of  a  town,  which  in  all 
probability  will  mean  a  new  era  for  Bolivia.  We 
fully  demonstrated  the  fact  that  Puerto  Quijarro 
will  be  an  ideal  port,  through  which  the  whole 
commerce  of  south-eastern  Bolivia  can  to  advan- 
tage pass. 

Next  day  the  Secretary  drew  out  four  copies 
of  this  Act.  One  was  for  His  Excellency  General 
Pando,  President  of  the  Bolivian  Republic;  an- 
other for  the  Mayor  of  Holy  Cross,  the  nearest 
Bolivian  town,  350  miles  distant;  a  third  for 
Seiior  Quijarro;  while  the  fourth  was  enclosed 
in  a  stone  bottle  and  buried  at  the   foot  of  the 

•The  latitude  of  Port  Quijarro  la  17*  47'  35",  and  the  longi- 
tude, west  of  Greenwich,  57*  44'  88".  Height  above  the  sea, 
558  feet.  -.-.g 


Bolivia. 

flagstaff,  there  to  await  the  erection  of  the  first 
building.  Thus  a  commencement  has  been  made ; 
the  lake  and  shores  are  now  explored.  The  work 
has  been  thoroughly  done,  and  the  sweat  of  the 
brow  was  not  stinted,  for  the  birds  of  the  air  hov- 
ered around  the  theodolite,  even  on  the  top  of 
the  highest  adjacent  mountain.* 

At  last,  this  work  over  and  an  exhaustive 
chart  of  the  lake  drawn  up,  tools  and  tents 
collected,  specimens  of  soil,  stones,  iron,  etc., 
packed  and  labelled,  we  prepared  for  departure. 

The  weather  had  been  exceptionally  warm  and 
we  had  all  suffered  much  from  the  sun's  vertical 
rays,  but  towards  the  end  of  our  stay  the  heat 
was  sweltering — killing!  The  sun  was  not  con- 
fined to  one  spot  in  the  heavens,  as  in  more  tem- 
perate climes;  here  he  filled  all  the  sky,  and  he 
scorched  us  pitilessly!  Only  at  early  morning, 
when  the  eastc^rn  sky  blushed  with  warm  gold 
and  rose  tints,  or  at  even,  when  the  great  liquid 
ball  of  fire  dropped  behind  the  distant  violet- 
colored  hills,  could  you  locate  him.  Does  the 
Indian  worship  this  awful  majesty  out  of  fear, 
as  the  Chinaman  worships  the  devil? 

Next  morning  dawned  still  and  portentous. 
Not  a  zephyr  breeze  stirred  the  leaves  of  the 
trees.  The  sweltering  heat  turned  to  a  suffo- 
cating one.  As  the  morning  dragged  on  we 
found  it  more  and  more  difficult  to  breathe; 
there  seemed  to  be  nothing  to  inflate  our  lungs. 
By  afternoon  we  stared  helplessly  at  each  other 

•The  opening  of  the  country  must,  from  Its  geographical 
situation,  be  productive  of  political  consequences  of  the  first 
magnitude  to  South  America. — Report  of  the  Royal  Geogra- 
phical Society,  January,  1902. 

119 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback, 

and  gasped  as  we  lay  simmering  on  the  deck. 
Were  we  to  be  asphyxiated  there  after  all?  I  had 
known  as  many  as  two  hundred  a  day  to  die  in 
one  South  American  city  from  this  cause.  Surely 
mortal  men  never  went  through  such  awful,  air- 
less heat  as  this  and  lived.  We  had  been  per- 
mitted to  discover  the  lake,  and  if  the  world  heard 
of  our  death,  would  that  flippant  remark  be 
used  again,  as  with  previous  explorers,  "To  make 
omelettes  eggs  must  be  broken  "? 

However,  we  were  not  to  melt.  Towards  even- 
ing the  barometer,  which  had  been  falling  all  day, 
went  lower  and  lower.  All  creation  was  still. 
Not  a  sound  broke  the  awful  quiet;  only  in  our 
ears  there  seemed  to  be  an  unnatural  singing 
which  was  painful,  and  we  closed  our  eyes  in 
weariness,  for  the  sun  seemed  to  have  blistered 
the  very  eyeballs.  When  we  mustered  up  suffi- 
cient energy  to  turn  our  aching  eyes  to  the 
heavens,  we  saw  black  storm-clouds  piling  them- 
selves one  above  another,  and  hope,  which 
"springs  eternal  in  the  human  breast,"  saw  in 
them  our  hope,  our  salvation. 

The  fall  of  the  barometer,  and  the  howling  of 
the  monkeys  on  shore  also,  warned  us  of  the 
approaching  tempest,  so  we  prepared  for  emer- 
gencies by  securing  the  vessel  fore  and  aft  under 
the  lee  of  a  rugged  sierra  before  the  storm  broke 
—and  break  it  did  in  all  its  might. 

Suddenly  the  wind  swept  down  upon  us  with 
irresistible  fury,  and  we  breathed — we  lived 
again.  So  terrific  was  the  sweep  that  giant  trees, 
which  had  braved  a  century's  storms,  fell  to  the 
earth  with  a  crash.      The  hurricane  was  truly 

120 


L1211 


Bolivia. 

fearful.  Soon  the  waters  of  the  lake  were  lashed 
into  foam.  Great  drops  of  rain  fell  in  blinding 
torrents,  and  every  fresh  roll  of  thunder  seemed 
to  make  the  mountains  tremble,  while  the  light- 
ning cleft  asunder  giant  trees  at  one  mighty 
stroke. 

In  the  old  legends  of  the  Inca,  read  on  the 
"Quipus,"  we  find  that  Paehacamac  and  Vira- 
cocha,  the  highest  gods,  placed  in  the  heavens 
"  Nusta,"  a  royal  princess,  armed  with  a  pitcher 
of  water,  which  she  was  to  pour  over  the  earth 
whenever  it  was  needed.  When  the  rain  was 
accompanied  by  thunder,  lightning,  and  wind, 
the  Indians  believed  that  the  maiden's  royal 
brother  was  teasing  her,  and  trying  to  wrest  the 
pitcher  from  her  hand.  Nusta  must  indeed 
have  been  fearfully  teased  that  night,  for  the 
lightning  of  her  eyes  shot  athwart  the  heavens 
and  the  sky  was  rent  in  flame. 

Often  in  those  latitudes  no  rain  falls  for  long 
months,  but  when  once  the  clouds  open  the  earth 
is  deluged !  Weeks  pass,  and  the  zephyr  breezes 
scarcely  move  the  leaves  of  the  trees,  but  in  those 
days  of  calm  the  wind  stores  up  his  forces  for  a 
mighty  storm.  On  this  dark,  fearful  night  he 
blew  his  fiercest  blasts.  The  wild  beast  was 
affrighted  from  his  lair  and  rushed  down  with  a 
moan,  or  the  mountain  eagle  screamed  out  a  wail, 
indistinctly  heard  through  the  moaning  sounds. 
During  the  whole  night,  which  was  black  as 
wickedness,  the  wind  howled  in  mournful 
cadence,  or  went  sobbing  along  the  sand  As  the 
hours  wore  on  we  seemed  to  hear^  in  every  shriek 
of  the  blast,  the  strange  tongue  of  some  long- 

123 


Through  Five  Republics  on  HorsehacJc. 

departed  Indian  brave,  wailing  for  his  happy 
hunting-grounds,  now  invaded  by  the  paleface. 
Coats  and  rugs,  that  had  not  for  many  months 
been  unpacked,  were  brought  out,  only  in  some 
cases  to  be  blown  from  us,  for  the  wind  seemed 
to  try  his  hardest  to  impede  our  departure.  The 
rain  soaked  us  through  and  through.  Mists  rose 
from  the  earth,  and  mists  came  down  from  above. 
Next  morning  the  whole  face  of  nature  was 
changed. 

After  the  violence  of  the  tempest  abated  we 
cast  off  the  ropes  and  turned  the  prow  of  our 
little  vessel  civilizationward.  When  we  entered 
the  lake  the  great  golden  sun  gave  us  a  warm 
welcome,  now,  at  our  farewell,  he  refused  to 
shine.  The  rainy  season  had  commenced,  but, 
fortunately  for  us,  after  the  work  of  exploration 
was  done.  This  weather  continued — day  after 
day  clouds  and  rain.  Down  the  rugged,  time- 
worn  face  of  the  mountains  foaming  streams 
rushed  and  poured,  and  this  was  our  last  view — 
a  good-bye  of  copious  tears!  Thus  we  saw  the 
lake  in  sunshine  and  storm,  in  light  and  dark- 
ness. It  had  been  our  aim  and  ambition  to  reach 
it,  and  we  rejoiced  in  its  discovery.  Remember- 
ing that  "we  were  the  first  who  ever  burst  into 
that  silent  sea,"  we  seemed  to  form  part  of  it,  and 
its  varying  moods  only  endeared  it  to  us  the  more. 
In  mining  parlance,  we  had  staked  out  our  claims 
there,  for — 

"  O'er  no  sweeter  labe  shall  moxning  break. 
Or  noon  cloud  sail; 
No  fairer  face  than  this  shall  take 
The  eunseit's  goldiein  veil." 

124 


CHAPTER  VIL 

PIEDRA  BLANC  A, 

In  due  time  we  again  reached  Piedra  Blanca, 
and,  notwithstanding  our  ragged,  thorn-torn 
garments,  felt  we  were  once  more  joined  on  to  the 
world. 

The  bubonic  plague  had  broken  out  farther 
down  the  country,  steamboats  were  at  a  stand- 
still, so  we  had  to  wait  a  passage  down  the  river. 
Piedra  Blanca  is  an  interesting  little  spot.  One 
evening  a  tired  mule  brought  in  the  postman  from 
the  next  town,  Holy  Joseph.  He  had  been 
eight  days  on  the  journey.  Another  evening  a 
string  of  dusty  mules  arrived,  bringing  loads  of 
rubber  and  cocoa.  They  had  been  five  months  on 
the  way. 

When  the  Chiquitana  women  go  down  to  the 
bay  for  water,  with  their  pitchers  poised  on  their 
heads,  the  sight  is  very  picturesque.  Sometimes 
a  little  boy  will  step  into  one  of  the  giant,  traylike 
leaves  of  the  Victoria  Regia,  which,  thus  trans- 
formed into  a  fairy  boat,  he  will  paddle  about  the 
quiet  bay. 

The  village  is  built  on  the  edge  of  the  virgin 
forest,  where  the  red  man,  with  his  stone  hatchet, 
wanders  in  wild  freedom.  It  contains,  perhaps, 
a  hundred  inhabitants,  chiefly  civilized  Chiqui- 
tanos  Indians.    There  is  here  a  customs  house, 

125 


Through  Five  Republics  on  HorsehacTc. 

and  a  regular  trade  in  rubber,  which  is  brought 
in  from  the  interior  on  mule-back,  a  journey 
which  often  takes  from  three  to  four  months. 

One  evening  during  our  stay  two  men  were 
forcibly  brought  into  the  village,  having  been 
caught  in  the  act  of  killing  a  cow  which  they  had 
stolen.  These  men  were  immediately  thrown 
into  the  prison,  a  small,  dark,  palm-built  hut. 
Next  morning,  ere  the  sun  arose,  their  feet  were 
thrust  into  the  stocks,  and  a  maU;  armed  with  a 
long  hide  whip  thrashed  them  until  the  blood 
flowed  in  streamlets  down  their  bare  backs! 
What  struck  us  as  being  delicately  thoughtful 
was  that  while  the  whipping  proceeded  another 
official  tried  his  best  to  drown  their  piercing 
shrieks  by  blowing  an  old  trumpet  at  its  highest 
pitch ! 

The  women,  although  boasting  only  one  loose 
white  garment,  walk  with  the  air  and  grace  of 
queens,  or  as  though  pure  Inca  blood  ran  in  their 
veins.  Their  only  adornment  is  a  necklace  of  red 
corals  and  a  few  Inches  of  red  or  blue  ribbon  en- 
twined in  their  long  raven-black  hair,  which 
hangs  down  to  the  waist  in  two  plaits.  Their 
houses  are  palm-walled,  with  a  roof  of  palm- 
leaves,  through  which  the  rain  pours  and  the  sun 
shines.  Their  chairs  are  logs  of  wood,  and  their 
beds  are  string  hammocks.  Their  wants  are  few, 
as  there  are  no  electric-lighted  store  windows  to 
tempt  them.  Let  us  leave  them  in  their  primitive 
simplicity.  Their  little,  delicately-shaped  feet  are 
prettier  without  shoes  and  stockings,  and  their 
plaited  hair  without -Parisian  hats  and  European 
tinsel.     They  neither  read  nor  write,  and  there- 

126 


Bolivia, 

fore  cannot  discuss  politics.  Women's  rights 
they  have  never  heard  of.  Their  bright-eyed, 
naked  little  children  play  in  the  mud  or  dust 
round  the  house,  and  the  sun  turns  their  already 
bronze-colored  bodies  into  a  darker  tint;  but  the 
Chiquitana  woman  has  never  seen  a  white  baby, 
and  knows  nothing  of  its  beauty,  so  is  more  than 
satisfied  with  her  own.  The  Indian  child  does 
not  suffer  from  teething,  for  all  have  a  small 
wooden  image  tied  round  the  neck,  and  the  little 
one,  because  of  this,  is  supposed  to  be  saved  from 
all  baby  ailments!  Their  husbands  and  sons 
leave  them  for  months  while  they  go  into  the  in- 
terior for  rubber  or  cocoa,  and  when  one  comes 
back,  riding  on  his  bullock  or  mule,  he  is  affec- 
tionately but  silently  received.  The  Chiquitano 
seldom  speaks,  and  in  this  respect  he  is  utterly 
unlike  the  Brazilian.  The  women  differ  from 
our  mothers  and  sisters  and  wives,  for  they  (the 
Chiquitanas)  have  nothing  to  say.  After  all, 
ours  are  best,  and  a  headache  is  often  preferable 
to  companioning  with  the  dumb.  I  unhesitating- 
ly say,  give  me  the  music,  even  if  I  have  to  suffer 
the  consequences. 

The  waiting-time  was  employed  by  our  hunter 
in  his  favorite  sport.  One  day  he  shot  a  huge 
alligator  which  was  disporting  itself  in  the  water 
some  five  hundred  yards  from  the  shore.  Taking 
a  strong  rope,  we  went  out  in  an  Indian  dug-out 
to  tow  it  to  land.  As  my  friend  was  the  more 
dexterous  in  the  use  of  the  paddle,  he  managed 
the  canoe,  and  I,  with  much  difiQculty,  fixed  the 
rope  by  a  noose  to  the  monster's  tail  When  the 
towing,  however,  commenced,  the  beast  seemed 

127 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback- 

to  regain  his  life.  He  dived  and  struggled  for 
freedom  until  the  water  was  lashed  into  foam. 
He  thrust  his  mighty  head  out  of  the  water  and 
opened  his  jaws  as  though  warning  us  he  could 
crush  the  frail  dug-out  with  one  snap.  Being 
anxious  to  obtain  his  hide,  and  momentarily  ex- 
pecting his  death,  for  he  was  mortally  wounded, 
I  held  on  to  the  rope  with  grim  persistency.  He 
dived  under  the  boat  and  lifted  it  high,  but  as  his 
ugly  nose  came  out  on  the  other  side  the  canoe 
regained  its  position  in  the  water.  He  then  com- 
menced to  tow  us,  but,  refusing  to  obey  the  helm, 
took  us  to  all  points  of  the  compass.  After  an 
exciting  cruise  the  alligator  gave  a  deep  dive  and 
the  rope  broke,  giving  him  his  liberty  again.  On 
leaving  us  he  gave  what  Waterton  describes  as 
"  a  long-suppressed,  shuddering  sigh,  so  loud  and 
so  peculiar  that  it  can  be  heard  a  mile."  The 
bullet  had  entered  the  alligator's  head,  but  next 
morning  we  saw  he  was  still  alive  and  able  to 
"paddle  his  own  canoe."  The  reader  may  be 
surprised  to  learn  that  these  repulsive  reptiles 
lay  an  egg  with  a  pure  white  shell,  fair  to  look 
upon,  and  that  the  egg  is  no  larger  than  a  hen's. 

One  day  I  was  called  to  see  a  dead  man  for 
whom  a  kind  of  wake  was  being  held  He  was 
lying  in  state  in  a  grass-built  hovel,  and  raised 
up  from  the  mud  floor  on  two  packing-cases  of 
suspiciously  British  origin.  His  hard  Indian 
face  was  softened  in  death,  but  the  observant 
eye  could  trace  a  stoical  resignation  in  the  fea- 
tures. Several  men  and  women  were  sitting 
around  the  corpse  counting  their  beads  and  drink- 
ing native  spirits,  with  a  dim,  hazj  belief  that 

128 


Bolivia, 

that  was  the  right  thing  to  do.  The  peddler  of 
chicha  carries  around  a  large  stone  jar,  about  a 
yard  in  depth.  The  payment  for  every  drink  sold 
is  dropped  into  the  jar  of  liquor,  so  the  last  cus- 
tomers get  the  most  "tasty"  decoction. 

Next  day  the  man  was  quietly  carried  away  to 
the  little  forest  clearing  reserved  for  the  departed, 
where  a  few  wooden  crosses  lift  their  heads 
among  the  tangled  growth.  Some  of  these  crosses 
have  four  rudely  carved  letters  on  them,  which 
you  decipher  as  I.  N.  R.  I.  The  Indian  cannot  tell 
you  their  meaning,  but  he  knows  they  have  some- 
thing to  do  with  his  new  religion. 

As  far  as  I  could  ascertain,  the  departed  had 
no  relatives.  One  after  another  had  been  taken 
from  him,  and  now  he  had  gone,  for  "when  he  is 
forsaken,  withered  and  shaken,  what  can  an  old 
man  do  but  die?" — it  is  the  end  of  all  flesh. 

There  is  no  church  or  priest  in  the  village  of 
Piedra  Blanca.  Down  on  the  beach  there  is  a 
church  bell,  which  the  visitor  concludes  is  a  start 
in  that  direction,  but  he  is  told  that  it  is  destined 
for  the  town  of  Santa  Cruz  de  la  Sierra,  three 
hundred  miles  inland.  The  bell  was  a  present  to 
the  church  by  some  pious  devotee,  but  the  money 
donated  did  not  provide  for  its  removal  inland. 
This  cost  the  priests  refused  to  pay,  and  the  Chi- 
quitanos  equally  refuse  to  transport  it  free. 
There  is  no  resident  priest  to  make  them,  so 
there  it  stays.  In  the  meantime  the  bell  is  slung 
up  on  three  poles.  It  was  solemnly  beaten  with 
a  stick  on  Christmas  Eve  to  commemorate  the 
time  when  the  "Mother  of  Heaven"  gave  birth 

129 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

to  her  child  Jesus.  In  one  of  the  principal 
houses  of  the  village  the  scene  was  most  vividly 
reproduced.  A  small  arbor  was  screened  off  by 
palm  leaves,  in  which  were  hung  little  colored 
candles.  Angels  of  paper  were  suspended  from 
the  roof,  that  they  might  appear  to  be  bending 
over  the  Virgin,  which  was  a  highly-colored 
fashion-plate  cut  from  a  Parisian  journal  that 
somehow  had  found  its  way  there.  The  child 
Jesus  appeared  to  be  a  Mellin's  Food-fed  infant. 
Round  this  fairy  scene  the  youth  and  beauty  of 
the  place  danced  and  drank  liberal  potations  of 
chicha,  the  Bolivian  spirits,  until  far  on  into 
morning,  when  all  retired  to  their  hammocks  to 
dream  of  their  Virgin  and  her  lovely  babe. 

After  this  paper  Virgin  the  next  most  promin- 
ent object  visited  I  saw  in  Piedra  Blanca  was  a 
saint  with  a  dress  of  vegetable  fibre,  long  hair 
that  had  once  adorned  a  horse's  tail,  and  eyes  of 
pieces  of  clamshell. 

Up  to  four  years  ago,  the  statute  was  in  force 
that  "Every  one  who  directly  or  through  any  act 
conspires  to  establish  in  Bolivia  any  other  reli- 
gion than  that  which  the  republic  professes, 
namely,  that  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Apostolic 
Church,  is  a  traitor,  and  shall  suffer  the  penalty 
of  death." 

After  a  week's  stay  in  Piedra  Blanca,  during 
which  I  had  ample  time  for  such  comparisons  as 
these  I  have  penned,  quarantine  lifted,  and  the 
expedition  staff  separated.  I  departed  on  horse- 
back to  inspect  a  tract  of  land  on  another  fron- 
tier of  Bolivia,  1,300  miles  distant. 


130 


PART  III. 


PARAGUAY 


ii>* 


AN  INDIAN  AND  HIS  GOD  NANDEYARA 

'  I  need  not  follow  the  beaten  path; 
I  do  not  hunt  for  any  path- 
I  will  go  where  there  is  no  path, 
And  leave  a  trail." 


131 


PARAGUAY 


Paraguay,  though  one  of  the  most  isolated 
republics  of  South  America,  is  one  of  the  oldest. 
A  hundred  years  before  the  "  Mayflower  "  sailed 
from  old  Plymouth  there  was  a  permanent  settle- 
ment of  Spaniards  near  the  present  capital.  The 
country  has  98,000  square  miles  of  territory,  but 
a  population  of  only  800,000.  Paraguay  may 
almost  be  called  an  Indian  republic,  for  the 
traveller  hears  nothing  but  the  soft  Guarani 
language  spoken  all  over  the  country.  It  is  in 
this  republic  that  the  yerba  m^t6  grows.  That 
is  the  chief  article  of  commerce,  for  at  least 
fifteen  millions  of  South  Americans  drink  this 
tea,  already  frequently  referred  to.  Thousands 
of  tons  of  the  best  oranges  are  grown,  and  its 
orange  groves  are  world-famed. 

The  old  capital,  founded  in  1537,  was  built 
without  regularity  of  plan,  but  the  present  city, 
owing  to  the  despotic  sway  of  Prancia,  is  most 
symmetrical.  That  South  American  Nero  issued 
orders  for  all  houses  that  were  out  of  his  lines 
to  be  demolished  by  their  owners.  *'  One  poor 
man  applied  to  know  what  remuneration  he  was 
to  have,  and  the  dictator's  answer  was :  *  A  lodg- 
ment gratis  in  the  public  prison.'  Another  asked 

132 


Paraguay. 

where  he  was  to  go,  and  the  answer  was,  To  a 
state  dungeon/  Both  culprits  were  forthwith 
lodged  in  their  respective  new  residences,  and 
their  houses  were  levelled  to  the  ground." 

"Such  was  the  terror  inspired  by  the  man  that 
the  news  that  he  was  out  would  clear  the  streets. 
A  white  Paraguayan  dared  not  utter  his  name. 
During  his  lifetime  he  was  'El  Supremo,'  and 
after  he  was  dead  for  generations  he  was  referred 
to  simply  as  *E1  Difunto.'  "* 

Paraguay,  being  an  inland  republic,  its  nearest 
point  a  thousand  miles  from  the  sea-coast,  has  not 
been  brought  into  connection  with  the  great  out- 
side world.  Its  people,  almost  universally  speak- 
ing the  Guarani  language,  are  without  literature. 
They  are  simple,  lovable,  thoughtless  and  stoical. 

Here  was  waged  between  1862  and  1870  what 
history  describes  as  the  most  annihilating  war 
since  Carthage  fell.  The  little  republic,  stand- 
ing out  for  five  and  a  half  years  against  five  other 
republics,  fought  with  true  Indian  bravery  and 
recklessness,  until  for  every  man  in  the  country 
there  could  be  numbered  nine  women  (some 
authorities  say  eleven)  ;  and  this  notwithstand- 
ing the  fact  that  the  women  in  thousands  carried 
arms  and  fought  side  by  side  with  the  men.  The 
dictator  Lopez,  who  had  with  such  determination 
of  purpose  held  out  so  long,  was  finally  killed, 
and  his  last  words,  "Muero  con  la  patria"  (I  die 
with  the  country)  were  truly  prophetic,  for  the 
country  has  never  risen  since. 

Travellers  agree  in  aflSrming  that  of  all  South 
Americans  the  Paraguayans  are  the  most  mild- 

*Eobertson  's  ' '  Reigu  of  Terror. ' ' 
133 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

mannered  and  lethargic;  yet  when  these  people 
are  once  aroused  they  fight  with  tigerish  per- 
tinacity. The  pages  of  history  may  be  searched 
in  vain  for  examples  of  warfare  waged  at  such 
odds;  but  the  result  is  invariably  the  same,  the 
weaker  nation,  whether  right  or  wrong,  goes 
under.  Although  the  national  mottoes  vary  with 
the  different  flags,  yet  the  Chilian  is  the  most  uni- 
versally followed  in  South  America,  as  else- 
where: ^' Por  la  razon  6  la  fuerza"  (By  right  o/* 
by  might).  The  Paraguayans  contended  hero- 
ically for  what  they  considered  their  rights,  and 
such  bloody  battles  were  fought  that  at  Curu- 
pait^  alone  5,000  dead  and  dying  were  left  on 
the  field!  Added  to  the  carnage  of  battle  was 
disease  on  every  hand.  The  worst  epidemic  of 
smallpox  ever  known  in  the  annals  of  history  was 
when  the  Brazilians  lost  43,000  men,  while  this 
war  was  being  waged  against  Paraguay.  One 
hundred  thousand  bodies  were  left  unburied,  and 
on  them  the  wild  animals  and  vultures  gorged 
themselves.  The  saying  now  is  a  household  word, 
that  the  jaguar  of  those  lands  is  the  most  to  be 
dreaded,  through  having  tasted  so  much  human 
blood. 

"  Lopez,  the  cause  of  all  this  sacrifice  and 
misery,  has  gone  to  his  final  account,  his  soul 
stained  with  the  blood  of  seven  hundred  thou- 
sand of  his  people,  the  victims  of  his  ambition 
and  cruelty." 

Towns  which  flourished  before  the  outbreak  of 
hostilities  were  sacked  by  the  emboldened 
Indians  from  the  Chaco  and  wiped  off  the  map, 
San  Salvador  (Holy  Saviour)  being  a  striking 

134 


Paraguay, 

example.  I  visited  the  ruins  of  this  town^  where 
formerly  dwelt  about  8,000  souls.  Now  the 
streets  are  grass-grown,  and  the  forest  is  creep- 
ing around  church  and  barracks,  threatening  to 
bury  them.  I  rode  my  horse  through  the  high 
portal  of  the  cannon-battered  church,  while  the 
stillness  of  the  scene  reminded  me  of  a  city  of 
the  dead.  City  of  the  dead,  truly — men  and 
women  and  children  who  have  passed  on!  My 
horse  nibbled  the  grass  growing  among  the 
broken  tiles  of  the  floor,  while  I,  in  imagination, 
listened  to  the  "  passing  bell  "  in  the  tower  above 
me,  and  under  whose  shade  I  sought  repose.  A 
traveller,  describing  this  site,  says :  "  It  is  a 
place  of  which  the  atmosphere  is  one  great  mass 
of  malaria,  and  the  heat  suffocating — where  the 
surrounding  country  is  an  uninterrupted  marsh 
— where  venomous  insects  and  reptiles  abound." 
San  Salvador  as  a  busy  mart  has  ceased  to  exist, 
and  the  nearest  approach  to  "  the  human  form 
divine,"  found  occasionally  within  its  walls,  is 
the  howling  monkey.  Such  are  the  consequences 
of  war !  During  the  last  ten  years  Paraguay  has 
been  slowly  recovering  from  the  terrible  effects 
of  this  war,  but  a  republic  composed  mostly  of 
women  is  severely  handicapped.* 

Paraguay  is  a  poor  land;  the  value  of  its 
paper  currency,  like  that  of  most  South  Ameri- 
can countries,  fluctuates  almost  daily.  In  1899 
the  dollar  was  worth  only  twelve  cents,  and  for 
five  gold  dollars  I  have  received  in  exchange  as 
many  as  forty^six  of  theirs.  Yet  there  is  a  great 

*Would  the  suffragettes  disagree  with  the  writer  here? 
135 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

future  for  Paraguay.  It  has  been  called  the 
Paradise  of  South  America,  and  although  the 
writer  has  visited  sixteen  different  countries  ot 
the  world,  he  thinks  of  Paraguay  with  tender 
longing  It  is  perhaps  the  richest  land  on  earth 
naturally,  and  produces  so  much  m4te  that  one 
year's  production  would  make  a  cup  of  tea  for 
every  man,  woman  and  child  on  the  globe. 
Oranges  and  bananas  can  be  bought  at  six  cents 
a  hundred,  two  millions  of  cattle  fatten  on  its 
rich  pasture  lands ;  but,  of  all  the  countries  the 
writer  has  travelled  in,  Mexico  comes  first  as  a 
land  of  beggars,  and  poor  Paraguay  comes 
second. 


13R 


CHAPTER  Vin. 

ASUNCION. 

Being  in  England  in  1900  for  change  and  rest, 
I  was  introduced  to  an  eccentric  old  gentleman 
of  miserly  tendencies,  but  possessed  of  |5,000,- 
000.  Hearing  of  my  wanderings  in  South 
America,  he  told  me  that  he  owned  a  tract  of 
land  thirteen  miles  square  in  Paraguay,  and 
would  like  to  know  something  of  its  value.  The 
outcome  of  this  visit  was  that  I  was  commis- 
sioned by  him  to  go  to  that  country  and  explore 
his  possession,  so  I  proceeded  once  more  to  my 
old  field  of  labor.  Arriving  at  the  mouth  of  the 
River  Plate,  after  five  weeks  of  sea-tossing,  I 
was,  with  the  rest,  looking  forward  to  our 
arrival  in  Buenos  Ayres,  when  a  steam  tug  came 
puffing  alongside,  and  we  were  informed  that 
as  the  ship  had  touched  at  the  infected  port  of 
Bahia,  all  passengers  must  be  fumigated,  and 
that  we  must  submit  to  three  weeks'  quarantine 
on  Flores  Island.  The  Port  doctor  has  sent  a 
whole  ship-load  to  the  island  for  so  trifling  a 
cause  as  that  a  sailor  had  a  broken  collar-bone, 
so  we  knew  that  for  us  there  was  nothing  but 
submission.  Disembarking  from  the  ocean 
steamer  on  to  lighters,  we  gave  a  last  look  at  the 
coveted  land,  "  so  near  and  yet  so  far,"  and  were 
towed  away  to  three  small  islands  in  the  centre 

137 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Eorsehack. 

of  the  river,  about  fifty  miles  distant.  On« 
island  is  set  apart  as  a  burial  ground,  one  is  for 
infected  patients,  and  the  other,  at  which  we 
were  landed,  is  for  suspects.  On  that  desert 
island,  with  no  other  land  in  sight  than  the 
sister  isles,  we  were  given  time  to  chew  the  cud 
of  bitter  reflection.  They  gave  us  little  else  to 
chew!  The  food  served  up  to  us  consisted  of 
strings  of  dried  beef,  called  charqui,  which  was 
brought  from  the  mainland  in  dirty  canvas  bags. 
This  was  often  supplemented  by  boiled  seaweed. 
Being  accustomed  to  self-preservation,  I  was  able 
to  augment  this  diet  with  fish  caught  while 
sitting  on  the  barren  rocks  of  our  sea-girt  prison. 
Prison  it  certainly  was,  for  sentries,  armed  with 
Remingtons,  herded  us  like  sheep. 

The  three  weeks'  detention  came  to  an  end,  as 
everything  earthly  does,  and  then  an  open  barge, 
towed  by  a  steam-launch,  conveyed  us  to  Monte- 
video. Quite  a  fresh  breeze  was  blowing,  and 
during  our  eleven  hours'  journey  we  were  repeat- 
edly drenched  with  spray.  Delicate  ladies  lay 
down  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat  in  the  throes  of 
seasickness,  and  were  literally  washed  to  and 
fro,  and  saturated,  as  they  said,  to  the  heart. 
We  landed,  however,  and  I  took  passage  up  to 
Asuncion  in  the  "  Olympo." 

The  "  Olympo  "  is  a  palatial  steamer,  fitted  up 
like  the  best  Atlantic  liners  with  every  luxury 
and  convenience.  On  the  ship  there  were  per- 
haps one  hundred  cabin  passengers,  and  in  the 
steerage  were  six  hundred  Russian  emigrants 
bound  for  Corrientes,  three  days'  sail  north.  Two 
of  these  women  were  very  sick,  so  the  chief  stew- 

138 


Paraguay, 

ard,  to  whom  I  was  known,  hurried  me  to  them, 
and  I  was  thankful  to  be  able  to  help  the  poor 
females. 

The  majestic  river  is  broad,  and  in  some  parts 
so  thickly  studded  with  islands  that  it  appears 
more  like  a  chain  of  lakes  than  a  flowing  stream. 
As  we  proceeded  up  the  river  the  weather  grew 
warmer,  and  the  native  clothing  of  sheepskins 
the  Russians  had  used  was  cast  aside.  The  men, 
rough  and  bearded,  soon  had  only  their  under 
garments  on,  and  the  women  wore  simply  that 
three-quarter  length  loose  garment  well  known  to 
all  females,  yet  they  sweltered  in  the  unaccus- 
tomed heat. 

At  midnight  of  the  third  day  we  landed  them 
at  Corrientes,  and  the  women,  in  their  white  (?) 
garments,  with  their  babies  and  ikons,  and 
bundles — and  husbands — trod  on  terra  firma  for 
the  first  time  in  seven  weeks. 

After  about  twelve  days'  sail  we  came  to  Bella 
Vista,  at  which  point  the  river  is  eighteen  miles 
wide.  Sixteen  days  after  leaving  the  mouth  of 
the  river,  we  sighted  the  red-tiled  roofs  of  the 
houses  at  Asuncion,  the  capital  of  Paraguay, 
built  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  which  is  there  only 
a  mile  wide,  but  thirty  feet  deep.  The  river  boats 
land  their  passengers  at  a  rickety  wooden  wharf, 
and  Indians  carry  the  baggage  on  their  heads 
into  the  dingy  customs  house.  After  this  has 
been  inspected  by  the  cigarette-smoking  officials, 
the  dark-skinned  porters  are  clamorously  eager 
to  again  bend  themselves  under  the  burden  and 
take  your  trunks  to  an  hotel,  where  you  follow, 
walking  over  the    exceedingly    rough    cobbled 

139 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horsehack. 

streets.  There  is  not  a  cab  for  hire  in  the  whole 
city.  The  two  or  three  hotels  are  fifth-rate,  but 
'^harge  only  about  thirty  cents  a  day. 

Asuncion  is  a  city  of  some  30,000  inhabitants 
Owing  to  its  isolated  position,  a  thousand  miles 
from  the  sea-coast,  it  is  perhaps  the  most  back- 
ward of  all  the  South  American  capitals.  Al- 
though under  Spanish  rule  for  three  hundred 
years,  the  natives  still  retain  the  old  Indian 
language  and  the  Guaranl  idiom  is  spoken  by 
all. 

The  city  is  lit  up  at  night  with  small  lamps 
burning  oil,  and  these  lights  shed  fitful  gleams 
here  and  there.  The  oil  burned  bears  the  high- 
sounding  trade-mark,  "  Light  of  the  World," 
and  that  is  the  only  "  light  of  the  world  "  the 
native  knows  of.  The  lamps  are  of  so  little  use 
that  females  never  dream  of  going  out  at  night 
without  carrying  with  them  a  little  tin  farol, 
with  a  tallow  dip  burning  inside. 

I  have  said  the  street  lamps  give  little  light.  T 
must  make  exception  of  one  week  of  the  year, 
when  there  is  great  improvement.  That  week 
they  are  carefully  cleaned  and  trimmed,  for  it  is 
given  up  as  a  feast  to  the  Virgin,  and  the  lights 
are  to  shed  radiance  on  gaudy  little  images  of 
that  august  lady  which  are  inside  of  each  lamp 
The  Pal,  or  father  priest,  sees  that  these  images 
are  properly  honored  by  the  people.  He  is  here^ 
as  elsewhere,  the  moving  spirit. 

San  Bias  is  the  patron  saint  of  the  country. 
It  is  said  he  won  for  the  Paraguayans  a  great 
victory  in  an  early  war.  St.  Cristobel  receives 
much  homage  also  because  he  helped  the  Virgin 

140 


Paraguay. 

Mary  to  carry  the  infant  Jesus  across  a  river  on 
the  way  to  Egypt. 

As  the  French  Catholics  have  Lourdes  and  the 
Argentines  have  Lujan,  where  wonders  are 
wrought  on  the  sick  by  the  healing  Virgin,  so  the 
Paraguayans  have  Caacupe;  and  the  image  of 
the  Virgin  in  that  village  is  the  great  wonder- 
worker. Prayers  are  directed  to  her  that  she 
will  raise  the  sick,  etc.,  and  promises  are  made 
her  if  she  will  do  this.  One  morning  I  had  busi- 
ness with  a  storekeeper,  and  went  to  his  office. 
"Is  the  carai  in?"  I  asked.  "No,"  I  was 
answered,  "he  has  gone  to  Caacupe  to  pay  a 
promise."  That  promise  was  to  burn  so  many 
candles  before  the  Virgin,  and  further  adorn  her 
bejewelled  robes.  She  had,  as  he  believed,  healed 
him  of  a  sickness. 

A  noticeable  feature  of  the  place  is  that  all 
the  inhabitants  go  barefooted.  Ladies  (?)  will 
pass  you  with  their  stiffly-starched  white  dresses, 
and  raven-black  hair  neatly  done  up  with  colored 
ribbons,  but  with  feet  innocent  of  shoes.  Soldiers 
and  policemen  tramp  the  streets,  but  neither  are 
provided  with  footwear,  and  their  clothes  are 
often  in  tatters.  The  Jesuits  taught  the  Indians 
to  make  shoes,  but  they  alone  wore  them,  export- 
ing the  surplus.  Shoes  are  not  for  common 
people,  and  when  one  of  them  dares  to  cover  his 
feet  he  is  considered  presumptuous.  Hats  they 
never  wear,  but  they  have  the  beautiful  custom 
of  weaving  flowers  in  their  hair.  When  flowers 
are  not  worn  the  head  is  covered  by  a  white  sheet 
called  the  tupoi,  and  in  some  cases  this  garment 
is  richly  embroidered.     These  females   are   de- 

141 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

voted  Catholics,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  follow- 
ing description  of  a  feast  held  to  St.  John : 

"Dona  Juana's  first  care  was  to  decorate  with 
uncommon  splendor  a  large  image  of  St.  John, 
which,  in  a  costly  crystal  box,  she  preserved  as 
the  chief  ornament  of  her  principal  drawing- 
room.  He  was  painted  anew  and  re-gilded.  He 
had  a  black  velvet  robe  purchased  for  him,  and 
trimmed  with  deep  gold  lace.  Hovering  over 
him  was  a  cherub.  Every  friend  of  Dona  Juana 
had  lent  some  part  of  her  jewellery  for  the  de- 
coration of  the  holy  man.  Rings  sparkled  on  his 
fingers;  collars  hung  around  his  neck;  a  tiara 
graced  his  venerable  brow.  The  lacings  of  his 
sandals  were  studded  with  pearls;  a  precious 
girdle  bound  his  slender  waist,  and  six  large  wax 
candles  were  lighted  up  at  the  shrine.  There, 
embosomed  in  fragrant  evergreens — ^the  orange, 
the  lime,  the  acacia — stood  the  favorite  saint, 
destined  to  receive  the  first  homage  of  every  guest 
that  should  arrive.  These  all  solemnly  took  off 
their  hats  to  the  image." 

When  a  person  is  dying,  the  Pat  is  hurriedly 
sent  for.  To  this  call  he  will  readily  respond. 
A  procession  will  be  formed,  and,  preceded  by  a 
boy  ringing  a  bell,  the  Host,  or,  to  use  an  every- 
day expression,  God,  will  be  carried  from  the 
church  down  the  street  to  the  sick  one. 

The  people  are  gentle  and  mild-spoken.  White- 
robed  women  lead  strings  of  donkeys  along  the 
streets,  bearing  huge  panniers  full  of  vegetables, 
among  which  frequently  play  the  women's  babies. 
The  panniers  are  about  a  yard  deep,  and  may 
often  be  seen  full  to  the  brim  with  live  fowls 

142 


Paraguay. 

pinioned  by  the  legs.  Other  women  go  around 
with  large  wicker  trays  on  their  heads,  selling 
chipd,  the  native  bread,  made  from  Indian  corn, 
or  mandioca  root,  the  staple  food  of  the  country. 
Wheat  is  not  grown  in  Paraguay,  and  any  flour 
used  is  imported.  These  daughters  of  Eve  often 
wear  nothing  more  than  a  robe-de-chambre,  and 
invariably  smoke  cigars  six  or  eight  inches  long. 
Their  figure  is  erect  and  stately,  and  the  laugh- 
ing eyes  full  of  mischief  and  merriment ;  but  they 
fade  into  old  age  at  forty.  Until  then  they  seem 
proud  as  children  of  their  brass  jev^ellery  and 
red  coral  beads.  The  Paraguayans  are  the  hap- 
piest race  of  people  I  have  met;  care  seems 
undreamed  of  by  them. 

In  the  post-ofl&ce  of  the  capital  I  have  some- 
times been  unable  to  procure  stamps,  and  "  Dy- 
pore"  (We  have  none)  has  been  the  civil  answer 
of  the  clerk.  When  they  had  stamps  they  were 
not  provided  with  mucilage,  but  a  brush  and  pot 
of  paste  were  handed  the  buyer.  If  you  ask  for 
a  one  cent  stamp  the  clerk  will  cut  a  two  cent 
stamp  and  give  you  a  half.  They  have,  however, 
stamps  the  tenth  part  of  a  cent  in  value,  and  a 
bank  note  in  circulation  whose  face  value  is  less 
than  a  cent.  There  are  only  four  numerals  in  the 
Guarani  language :  1,  petei;  2,  moncoi;  3,  hohapy; 
4,  irundu.  It  is  not  possible  to  express  five  or 
six.  No  wonder,  therefore,  that  when  I  bought 
five  40-cent  stamps,  I  found  the  clerk  was  unable 
to  count  the  sum,  and  I  had  to  come  to  the  rescue 
and  tell  him  it  was  |2.00.  At  least  eighty  per 
cent,  of  the  people  are  unable  to  read.  When 
they  do,  it  is  of  course  in  Spanish    A  young  man 

143 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback, 

to  whom  I  gave  the  Gospel  of  John  carefully 
looked  at  it,  and  then,  turning  to  me,  said :  "  Is 
this  a  history  of  that  wonderful  lawyer  we  have 
been  hearing  about?"  To  those  interested  in  the 
dissemination  of  Scriptures,  let  me  state  that  no 
single  Gospel  has  as  yet  been  translated  into 
Guarani. 

A  tentative  edition  of  the  "  Sermon  on  the 
Mount"  has  recently  been  issued  by  the  British 
and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  a  copy  of  which  I  had 
the  honor  to  be  the  first  to  present  to  the  head 
executive. 

Gentle  simplicity  is  the  chief  characteristic  of 
the  people.  If  the  traveller  relates  the  most 
ordinary  events  that  pass  in  the  outside  world, 
they  will  join  in  the  exclamation  of  surprise — 
"  Bd-eh-pic6!  Bd-eh-picdr 

Information  that  tends  to  their  lowering  is  not 
always  accepted  thus,  however,  for  a  colonel  in 
the  army,  when  told  that  Asuncion  could  be  put 
into  a  large  city  graveyard,  hastily  got  up  from 
the  dinner  table  and  went  away  in  wounded 
pride  and  incredulity.  The  one  who  is  supposed 
to  "  know  a  little  "  likes  to  keep  his  position,  and 
the  Spanish  proverb  is  exemplified :  "  En  tierra 
de  los  ciegos,  el  tuerto  es  rey"  (In  the  blind 
country  the  one-eyed  are  kings).  The  native  is 
most  guileless  and  ignorant,  as  can  well  be  under- 
stood when  his  language  is  an  unwritten  one. 

Paraguay  is  essentially  a  land  of  fruit,  200 
oranges  may  be  bought  for  the  equivalent  of  six 
cents.  Small  mountains  of  oranges  may  always 
be  seen  piled  up  on  the  banks  ready  to  be  shipped 
down  the  river.     Women  are  employed  to  load 

144 


Paraguay, 

the  vessels  with  this  fruit,  which  they  carry  in 
baskets  on  their  heads.  Everything  is  carried 
on  their  heads,  even  to  a  glass  bottle.  My  laun- 
dress, Cunacarai*  Jesus,  although  an  old  woman, 
could  bear  almost  incredible  weights  on  her  hard 
skull. 

As  the  climate  is  hot,  a  favorite  occupation 
for  men  and  women  is  to  sit  half-submerged  in 
the  river,  smoking  vigorously  "  The  Para- 
guayans are  an  amphibious  race,  neither  wholly 
seamen  nor  wholly  landsmen,  but  partaking  of 
both."  All  sleep  in  cotton  hammocks, — beds  are 
almost  unknown.  The  hammocks  are  slung  on 
the  verandah  of  the  house  in  the  hotter  season 
and  all  sleep  outside,  taking  off  their  garments 
with  real  sang  froid.  In  the  cooler  season  the 
visitor  is  invited  to  hang  his  hammock  along  with 
the  rest  inside  the  house,  and  in  the  early  morn- 
ing naked  little  children  bring  mdte  to  each  one. 
If  the  family  is  wealthy  this  will  be  served  in 
a  heavy  silver  cup  and  homhilla,  or  sucking  tube, 
of  the  same  metal.  After  this  drink  and  a  bite  of 
chipd,  a  strangely  shaped,  thin-necked  bottle, 
made  of  sun-baked  clay,  is  brought,  and  from  it 
water  is  poured  on  the  hands.  The  towels  are 
spotlessly  white  and  of  the  finest  texture.  They 
are  hand-made,  and  are  so  delicately  woven  and 
embroidered  that  I  found  it  difficult  to  accustom 
myself  to  use  them.  The  beautifully  fine  lace 
called  nandutt  (literally  spider's  web)  is  also 
here  made  by  the  Indian  women,  who  have  long 

•The  Guaranl  Idiom  can  boast  of  but  few  words,  and  Mr., 
Mrs.  and  Miss  are  simply  rendered  "  carai "  (man),  "  cuna- 
carai "  (woman)  and  "  cunatal "  (young  woman) ;  "  mita 
euna "  is  girl,  "  mita  culmbai "  is  boy,  and  "  mita  mishi  "r-t 
o2iby. 

145 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

been  civilized.  Some  of  the  handkerchiefs  they 
make  are  worth  $50  each  in  the  fashionable  cities 
of  America  and  Europe.  A  month's  work  may 
easily  be  expended  on  such  a  dainty  fabric. 

The  women  seem  exceptionally  fond  of  pets. 
Monkeys  and  birds  are  common  in  a  house,  and 
the  housewife  will  show  you  her  parrot  and  say, 
"In  this  bird  dwells  the  spirit  of  my  departed 
mother."  An  enemy,  somehow,  has  always 
turned  into  an  alligator — a  reptile  much  loathed 
by  them. 

Wakes  for  the  dead  are  always  held,  and  in 
the  case  of  a  child  the  little  one  lies  in  state 
adorned  with  gilded  wings  and  tinselled  finery. 
All  in  the  neighborhood  are  invited  to  the  dance 
which  takes  place  that  evening  around  the 
corpse.  At  a  funeral  the  Pai  walks  first,  fol- 
lowed by  a  crowd  of  men,  women  and  children 
bearing  candles,  some  of  which  are  four  and  five 
feet  long.  The  dead  are  carried  through  the 
streets  in  a  very  shallow  coffin,  and  the  head  is 
much  elevated.  An  old  woman  generally  walks 
by  the  side,  bearing  the  coffin  lid  on  her  head. 
The  dead  are  always  buried  respectfully,  for  an 
old  law  reads:  *'No  person  shall  ride  in  the 
dead  cart  except  the  corpse  that  is  carried,  and, 
therefore,  nobody  shall  get  up  and  ride  behind. 
It  is  against  Christian  piety  to  bury  people  with 
irreverent  actions,  or  drag  them  in  hides,  or 
throw  them  into  the  grave  without  consideration, 
or  in  a  position  contrary  to  the  practice  of  the 
Church." 

Having  heard  much  concerning  the  moralite 
of  the  people,  I  asked  the  maid  at  a  respectable 

146 


Paraguay. 

private  house  where  I  was  staying:  "Have  you 
a  father?"  "No,  sir,"  she  answered,  "we  Para- 
guayans are  not  accustomed  to  have  a  father." 
Children  of  five  or  six,  when  asked  about  that 
parent,  will  often  answer,  "Father  died  in  the 
war."  The  war  ended  thirty-nine  years  ago,  but 
they  have  been  taught  to  say  this  by  the  mother. 

As  in  Argentina  the  first  word  the  stranger 
learns  is  manana  (to-morrow),  so  here  the  first 
is  dy-qui  (I  don't  know).  Whatever  question 
you  ask  the  Guarani,  he  will  almost  invariably 
answer,  ''Dy-qui."  Ask  him  his  age,  he  answers 
"Dy-qui."  To  your  question:  "Are  you  twenty 
or  one  hundred  and  twenty?"  he  will  reply 
"Dij-qui." 

In  his  "Letters  on  Paraguay,"  Robertson  relates 
the  following  graphic  account  of  the  celebration 
of  Christ's  death:  "I  found  great  preparations 
making  at  the  cathedral  for  the  sermon  of  'the 
agony  on  the  cross.'  A  wooden  figure  of  our 
Saviour  crucified  was  affixed  against  the  wall, 
opposite  the  pulpit ;  a  large  bier  was  placed  in  the 
centre  of  the  cathedral,  and  the  great  altar  at  the 
eastern  extremity  was  hung  with  black;  while 
around  were  disposed  lighted  candles  and  other 
insignia  of  a  great  funeral.  When  the  sermon 
commenced,  the  cathedral  was  crowded  to  suffo- 
cation, a  great  proportion  of  the  audience  being 
females.  The  discourse  was  interrupted  alter- 
nately by  the  low  moans  and  sobbings  of  the 
congregation.  These  became  more  audible  as  the 
preacher  warmed  with  his  discourse,  which  was 
partly  addressed  to  his  auditory  and  partly  to 

147 


Through  Five  Republic  on  Horseback, 

the  figure  before  him;  and  when  at  length  he 
exclaimed,  'Behold!  Behold!  He  gives  up  the 
ghost!'  the  head  of  the  figure  was  slowly  de- 
pressed by  a  spring  towards  the  breast,  and  one 
simultaneous  shriek — loud,  piercing,  almost  ap- 
palling— was  uttered  by  the  whole  congregation. 
The  women  now  all  struggled  for  a  superiority  in 
giving  unbounded  vent  to  apparently  the  most 
distracting  grief.  Some  raved  like  maniacs, 
others  beat  their  breasts  and  tore  their  hair.  Ex- 
clamations, cries,  sobs  and  shrieks  mingled,  and 
united  in  forming  one  mighty  tide  of  clamor,  up- 
roar, noise  and  confusion.  In  the  midst  of  the 
raging  tempest  could  be  heard,  ever  and  anon,  the 
stentorian  voice  of  the  preacher,  reproaching  in 
terms  of  indignation  and  wrath  the  apathy  of  his 
hearers!  *Can  you,  oh,  insensate  crowd!'  he 
would  cry,  'Can  you  sit  in  silence?' — but  here 
his  voice  was  drowned  in  an  overwhelming  cry  of 
loudest  woe,  from  every  part  of  the  church;  and 
for  five  minutes  all  further  effort  to  make  him- 
self heard  was  unavailing.  This  singular  scene 
continued  for  nearly  half  an  hour;  then,  by  de- 
grees, the  vehement  grief  of  the  congregation 
abated,  and  when  I  left  the  cathedral  it  had  sub- 
sided once  more  into  low  sobs  and  silent  tears. 

"I  now  took  my  way,  with  many  others,  to  the 
Church  of  San  Francisco,  where,  in  an  open 
space  in  front  of  the  church,  I  found  that  the 
duty  of  the  day  had  advanced  to  the  funeral  ser- 
vice, which  was  about  being  celebrated.  There  a 
scaffolding  was  erected,  and  the  crucifixion 
exactly  represented  by  wooden  figures,  not  only 
of  our  Lord,  but  of  the  two  thieves.     A  pulpit 

148 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horsehach. 

was  erected  in  front  of  the  scaffold;  and  the 
whole  square  was  covered  by  the  devout  inhabit- 
ants of  the  city.  The  same  kind  of  scene  was 
being  enacted  here  as  at  the  cathedral,  with  the 
difference,  however,  of  the  circumstantial  funeral 
in  place  of  the  death.  The  orator's  discourse  when 
I  arrived  was  only  here  and  there  interrupted 
by  a  suppressed  moan,  or  a  struggling  sigh,  to  be 
heard  in  the  crowd.  But  when  he  commenced 
giving  directions  for  the  taking  down  of  the 
body  from  the  cross,  the  impatience  of  grief  be- 
gan to  manifest  itself  on  all  sides.  '  Mount  up,' 
he  cried,  *  ye  holy  ministers,  mount  up,  and  pre- 
pare for  the  sad  duty  which  ye  have  to  perform !' 
Here  six  or  eight  persons,  covered  from  head  to 
foot  with  ample  black  cloaks,  ascended  the  scaf- 
fold. Now  the  groans  of  the  people  became  more 
audible ;  and  when  at  length  directions  were  given 
to  strike  out  the  first  nail,  the  cathedral  scene  of 
confusion,  which  I  have  just  described,  began, 
and  all  the  rest  of  the  preacher's  oratory  was 
dumb  show.  The  body  was  at  length  deposited  in 
the  coffin,  and  the  groaning  and  shrieking  of  the 
assembled  multitude  ceased.  A  solemn  funeral 
ceremony  took  place:  every  respectable  person 
received  a  great  wax  taper  to  carry  in  the  pro- 
cession: the  coffin  after  being  carried  all  round 
was  deposited  in  the  church:  the  people  dis- 
persed ;  and  the  great  day  of  Passion  Week  was 
brought  to  a  close. 


149 


CHAPTER  IX. 

EXPEDITION  TO  THE  SUN-WOR- 
SHIPPERS.* 

I  TOOK  passage  on  the  "  Urano,"  a  steamer  of 
1,500  tons,  for  Concepcion,  200  miles  north  of 
Asuncion. 

On  the  second  day  of  our  journey  the  people  on 
board  celebrated  a  church  feast,  and  the  pilot,  iu 
his  anxiety  to  do  it  well,  got  helplessly  drunk. 
The  result  was  that  during  that  night  I  was 
thrown  out  of  the  top  berth  I  occupied  by  a 
terrific  thud.  The  steamer  had  run  on  the  sand- 
bank of  an  uninhabited  island,  and  there  she 
stuck  fast — immovable.  We  were  landed  on  the 
shore,  and  there  had  further  time  for  reflection 
on  the  mutability  of  things.  In  the  white  sand 
there  were  distinct  footprints  of  a  large  jaguar 
and  cub,  probably  come  to  prey  on  the  lazy  alli- 
gators that  were  lying  on  the  beach ;  and  I  caught 
sight  of  a  large  spotted  serpent,  which  glided 
into  the  low  jungle  where  the  tiger  also  doubtless 
was  in  hiding. 

After  three  days'  detention  here,  a  Brazilian 
packet  took  us  off.  On  stepping  aboard,  I  saw 
what  I  thought  to  be  two  black  pigs  lying  on  the 
deck.  I  assure  the  reader  that  it  was  some  sec- 
onds before  I  discovered  that  one  was  not  a  pig, 
but  a  man! 

•An  account  of  this  expedition  was  requested  by  and  sent  to 
the  Royal  Geographical  Society  of  London,  Eng. 

131 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

At  sunset  it  is  the  custom  on  these  river  boats 
for  all  to  have  a  bath.  The  females  go  to  one 
side  of  the  ship,  and  the  males  to  the  other; 
buckets  are  lowered,  and  in  turn  they  throw 
water  over  each  other.  After  supper,  in  the 
stillness  of  the  evening,  dancing  is  the  order, 
and  bare  feet  keep  time  to  the  twang  of  the 
guitar. 

We  occasionally  caught  sight  of  savages  on 
the  west  bank  of  the  river,  and  the  captain  in- 
formed me  that  he  had  once  brought  up  a  bag 
of  beans  to  give  them.  The  beans  had  been 
poisoned,  in  order  that  the  miserable  creatures 
might  be  swept  off  the  earth! 

We  landed  at  Concepcion,  and  I  walked  ashore. 
I  found  the  only  British  subject  living  there  was 
a  university  graduate,  but — a  prodigal  son. 
Owing  to  his  habit  of  constant  drinking,  the 
authorities  of  the  town  compelled  him  to  work. 
As  I  passed  up  the  street  I  saw  him  mending  a 
road  of  the  "  far  country."  There  I  procured  five 
horses,  a  stock  of  beads,  knives,  etc.,  for  barter, 
and  made  ready  for  my  land  journey  into  the 
far  interior.  The  storekeeper,  hearing  of  my 
plans,  strongly  urged  me  not  to  attempt  the  jour- 
ney, and  soon  all  the  village  talked.  Vague 
rumors  of  the  unknown  savages  of  the  interior 
had  been  heard,  and  it  was  said  the  expedition 
could  only  end  in  disaster,  especially  as  I  was 
not  even  going  to  get  the  blessing  of  the  Pal 
before  starting.  I  was  fortunate,  however,  in 
securing  the  companionship  of  an  excellent  man 
who  bore  the  suggestive  name  of  "  Old  Stabbed 
Arm";  and  Dofia  Dolores  (MrSo  Sorrows),  true 

15^ 


Paraguay, 

to  her  name,  whom  I  engaged  to  make  me  about 
twenty  pounds  of  chip^,  said  she  would  intercede 
with  her  saint  for  me.  Loading  the  pack-horse 
with  chipd,  beads,  looking-glasses,  knives,  etc., 
Old  Stabbed  Arm  and  I  mounted  our  horses,  and, 
each  taking  a  spare  one  by  the  halter,  drove  the 
pack-saddle  mare  in  front,  leaving  the  tender- 
hearted Mrs.  Sorrows  weeping  behind.  The  roads 
are  simply  paths  through  deep  red  sand,  into 
which  the  horses  sank  up  to  their  knees;  and 
they  are  so  uneven  that  one  side  is  frequently 
two  feet  higher  than  the  other,  so  we  could  travel 
only  very  slowly.  From  time  to  time  we  had  to 
push  our  way  into  the  dense  forest  on  either  side, 
in  order  to  give  space  for  a  string  of  bullock  carts 
to  go  past.  These  vehicles  are  eighteen  or  twenty 
feet  long,  but  have  only  two  wheels.  They  are 
drawn  by  ten  or  twelve  oxen,  which  are  urged  on 
by  goads  fastened  to  a  bamboo,  twenty  feet  long, 
suspended  from  the  roof  of  the  cart,  which  is 
thatched  with  reeds.  The  goads  are  artistically 
trimmed  with  feathers  of  parrots  and  macaws, 
or  with  bright  ribbons.  These  are  of  all  colors, 
but  those  around  the  sharp  nail  at  the  end  are 
further  painted  with  red  blood  every  time  the 
goad  is  used. 

The  carts,  rolling  and  straining  like  ships  in 
foul  weather,  can  be  heard  a  mile  off,  owing  to 
the  humming  screech  of  the  wheels,  which  are 
never  greased,  but  on  the  contrary  have  pow- 
dered charcoal  put  in  them  to  increase  the  noise 
Without  this  music  (?)  the  bullocks  do  not  work 
BO  well.  How  the  poor  animals  could  manage 
to  draw  the  load  was  often  a  mystery  to  me. 

153 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

Sections  of  the  road  were  partly  destroyed  by 
landslides  and  heavy  rains,  but  down  the  slip- 
pery banks  of  rivers,  through  the  beds  of  tor- 
rents or  up  the  steep  inclines  they  somehow 
managed  to  haul  the  unwieldy  vehicle.  Strings 
of  loaded  donkeys  or  mules,  with  jingling  bells, 
also  crawled  past,  and  I  noticed  with  a  smile  that 
even  the  animals  in  this  land  of  simple  minded 
people  have  tiny  statuettes  of  the  Virgin  stand- 
ing between  their  ears  to  keep  them  from  danger. 
Near  the  town  the  rivers  and  streams  are  bridged 
over  with  tree  trunks  placed  longitudinally,  and 
the  crevices  are  filled  in  with  boughs  and  sods. 
Some  of  them  are  so  unsafe  and  have  such  gaping 
holes  that  I  frequently  dismounted  and  led  my 
horse  over. 

The  tropical  scenery  was  superb.  Thousands 
of  orange  trees  growing  by  the  roadside,  filled 
with  luscious  fruit  on  the  lower  branches,  and 
on  the  top  with  the  incomparable  orange  blos- 
soms, afforded  delight  to  the  eye,  and  notwith- 
standing the  heat,  kept  us  cool,  for  as  we  rode 
we  could  pluck  and  eat.  Tree  ferns  twenty  and 
thirty  feet  high  waved  their  feathery  fronds  in 
the  gentle  breeze,  and  wild  pineapples  growing 
at  our  feet  loaded  the  air  with  fragrance. 

There  was  the  graceful  pepper  tree,  luxuriant 
hanging  lichens,  or  bamboos  forty  feet  high, 
which  riveted  the  attention  and  made  one  think 
what  a  beautiful  world  God  has  made.  Many  of 
the  shrubs  and  plants  afford  dyes  of  the  richest 
hues.  Azara  found  four  hundred  new  species  of 
the  feathered  tribe  in  the  gorgeous  woods  and 

154 


Paraguay. 

coppices  of  Paraguay,  and  all,  with  the  melan- 
choly caw,  caw  of  the  toucans  overhead,  spoke 
of  a  tropical  land.  Parrots  chattered  in  the 
trees,  and  sometimes  a  serpent  glided  across  the 
red  sand  road.  Unfortunately,  flies  were  so 
numerous  and  so  tormenting  that,  even  with  the 
help  of  a  green  branch,  we  could  not  keep  off 
the  swarms,  and  around  the  horses'  eyes  were 
dozens  of  them.  Several  menacing  hornets  also 
troubled  us.  They  are  there  so  fierce  that  they 
can  easily  sting  a  man  or  a  horse  to  death ! 

As  night  fell  we  came  to  an  open  glade,  and 
there  beside  a  clear,  gurgling  brook  staked  out 
our  horses  and  camped  for  the  night.  Building 
a  large  fire  of  brushwood,  we  ate  our  supper, 
and  then  lay  down  on  our  saddlecloths,  the 
firmament  of  God  with  its  galaxy  of  stars  as  out 
covering  overhead. 

By  next  evening  we  reached  the  village  of 
Pegwaomi.  On  the  way  we  had  passed  a  house 
here  and  there,  and  had  seen  children  ten  or 
twelve  years  of  age  sucking  sticks  of  sugar-cane, 
but  content  with  no  other  clothing  than  their 
rosary,  or  an  image  of  the  Virgin  round  their 
necks,  like  those  the  mules  wear.  Pegwaomi,  I 
saw,  was  quite  a  village,  its  pretty  houses  nestling 
among  orange  and  lime  trees,  with  luscious 
bananas  in  the  background.  There  was  no  Pal 
in  Pegwaomi,  so  I  was  able  to  hold  a  service  in 
an  open  shed,  with  a  roof  but  no  walls.  The  chief 
man  of  the  village  gave  me  permission  to  use 
this  novel  building,  and  twenty-three  people  came 
to  hear  the  stranger  speak.  After  the  service  a 
poor  woman  was  very  desirous  of  confessing  her 

155 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

sins  to  me,  and  she  thought  I  was  a  strange 
preacher  when  I  told  her  of  One  in  heaven  to 
whom  she  could  confess. 

In  the  front  gardens  of  many  of  the  rustic 
houses  I  noticed  a  wooden  cross  draped  with 
broad  white  lace.  The  dead  are  always  interred 
in  the  family  garden,  and  these  marked  the  site 
of  the  graves.  When  the  people  can  afford  it,  a 
priest  is  brought  to  perform  the  sad  rite  of  burial, 
but  the  people  are  poor,  and  while  religion  is  loudly 
claimed  to  be  free  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  the 
recipient  has  in  all  cases  to  "pay  the  freight." 
Does  the  Founder  of  the  Church,  who  Himself 
was  poor,  countenance  our  selling  of  His  bless- 
ings? 

There  was  no  doctor  or  drug  store  in  the  vil- 
lage. I  did  not  hear  of  any  one  able  to  read  and 
write.  There  was  no  school  or  hospital.  Each 
family  cultivated  its  own  little  plot  of  ground. 
They  had  abundance  of  food  for  the  body,  but 
mind  and  soul  were  utterly  neglected.  The  epi- 
sodes of  the  war,  which  ended  years  before  any 
of  the  younger  generation  was  born,  was  yet  a 
topic  of  every-day  conversation.  Horrors  and 
barbarities  then  committed  will  yet  be  handed 
down  for  ages,  just  as  the  legacy  of  wrongs  and 
the  "Hymn  of  Hate"  of  the  present  European 
lapse  into  savagery,  will  last  for  generations. 
A  few  of  the  people  could  play  the  guitar  and 
some  had  journeyed  to  the  capital,  and  thought 

156 


Paraguay. 

Asuncion  with  its  30,000  inhabitants  a  mighty 
metropolis.  Of  the  great  inside  to  which  we  were 
journeying  they  knew  nothing.  Vague  rumors 
had  reached  them  of  savage  Indians  with  inhuman 
customs,  of  impassable  obstacles,  impenetrable 
forests,  where  dwarf  cannibals  shot  with  blow- 
pipes all  whites  who  entered  their  haunts,  and 
many  tried  to  dissuade  me  from  venturing  in. 

During  my  stay  in  Pagwaomi,  a  dance  was 
held  on  the  sward  outside  one  of  the  houses,  and 
the  national  whirl,  the  sarandig,  gave  pleasure 
to  all.  The  females  wove  flowers  in  their  hair, 
and  made  garlands  of  them  to  adorn  their  waists. 
Others  had  caught  fire-flies,  which  nestled  in  the 
wavy  tresses  and  lit  up  the  semi-darkness  with  a 
soft  light,  like  so  many  green  stars.  Love  whis- 
perings, in  the  musical  Guarani,  were  heard  by 
willing  ears,  and  eyelight  was  thus  added  to  star- 
light. As  the  dancers  flitted  here  and  there  in 
their  white  garments,  or  came  out  from  the  shade 
of  the  orange  trees,  they  looked  ethereal,  like  the 
inhabitants  of  another  world  one  sees  at  times  in 
romantic  dreams,  for  this  village  is  surely  a  hun- 
dred years  behind  the  moon. 

From  this  scene  of  innocent  happiness  I  was 
taken  to  more  than  one  sick-bed,  for  it  soon 
became  known  that  I  carried  medicines. 

Will  the  reader  accomapany  me?  Enter  then 
— a  windowless  mud  hut.  See,  lying  on  sheep- 
skins and  burning  with  fever,  a  young  woman — 
almost   a    girl — wailing    "C/ie    raciy!"      (I    am 

157 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

sick!)  Notice  the  intense  eagerness  of  her  eyes 
as  she  gazes  into  mine  when  I  commence  to  min- 
ister to  her.  Watch  her  submit  to  my  neces- 
sarily painful  treatment  with  child-like  faith. 
Then,  before  we  quietly  steal  out  again,  listen 
to  her  low-breathed  "Acuerame''  (Already  I  feel 
better) . 

In  a  larger  house,  a  hundred  yards  away, 
an  earthenware  lamp,  with  cotton  wick  dip- 
ping in  raw  castor  oil,  sheds  fitful  gleams  on  a 
dying  woman.  The  trail  of  sin  is  only  too  evi- 
dent, even  in  thoughtless  Pegwaomi.  The  tin- 
selled saints  are  on  the  altar  at  the  foot  of  the 
bed,  and  on  the  woman's  breast,  tightly  clutched, 
is  a  crucifix.  While  villages  in  the  home  lands  are 
cursed  with  too  many  churches,  fighting  one  an- 
other, Pegwaomi  had  no  church  of  any  creed.  The 
woman's  grandchildren  may  learn  the  meaning 
of  the  crucifix  if  we  awake  by  that  time. 

In  that  rustic  cottage,  half  covered  with  jas- 
mine, and  shaded  by  a  royal  palm,  a  child  lies 
very  sick.  Listen  to  its  low,  weak  moaning  as 
we  cross  the  threshold.  The  mother  has  pro- 
cured a  piece  of  tape,  the  length  of  which,  she 
says,  is  the  exact  measure  of  the  head  of  Saint 
Bias.  This  she  has  repeatedly  put  around  her 
babe's  head  as  an  unfailing  cure.  Somehow  the 
charm  does  not  work  and  the  woman  is  sorely 
perplexed.  While  we  helplessly  look  on  the 
infant   dies!     Outside    the    moon    soared   high, 

158 


Po/raguoAf. 

throwing  a  silver  veil  over  the  grim  pathos  of 
it  all ;  but  in  the  breast  of  the  writer  was  a  surg- 
ing dissatisfaction  and — anger,  at  his  fellow- 
Christians  in  the  homeland,  who  in  their  thought- 
less selfishness  will  not  reach  out  a  helping  hand 
to  the  perishing  of  other  lands. 

Would  the  ever-present  Spirit,  who  wrote  "  Be 
ye  angry  "  not  understand?  Would  the  Master 
of  patience  and  forbearance,  who  Himself  showed 
righteous  anger,  enter  into  it?  Is  the  Great  God, 
who  sees  these  sheep  left  without  a  shepherd, 
Himself  angry?    Surely  it  is  well  to  ask? 

"  Oh,  heavy  lies  the  weight  of  ill  on  many  hearts, 
And  aomf outers  are  needed  sot©  of  Christlike  touch." 

In  this  village  I  made  inquiries  for  another 
servant  and  guide,  and  was  directed  to  "  Timoteo, 
the  very  man."  Liking  his  looks,  and  being  able 
to  come  to  satisfactory  terms,  I  engaged  him  as 
my  second  helper.  Timoteo  had  a  sister  called 
Salvadora  (Saviour).  She  pounded  corn  in  a 
mortar  with  a  hardwood  pestle,  and  made  me 
another  baking  of  chip4,  with  which  we  further 
burdened  the  pack-horse,  and  away  we  started 
again,  with  affectionate  farewells  and  tears, 
towards  the  unknown. 

Next  day  we  were  joined  by  a  traveller  who 
was  escaping  to  the  interior.  He  plainly  declared 
himself  as  a  murderer,  and  told  us  he  had  shot 
one  of  the  doctors  in  Asuncion.  Through  being 
well  connected,  he  had,  after  three  weeks'  deten- 
tion in  prison,  been  liberated,  as  he  boasted  to  us, 
con  todo  huen  nonibre  y  fama  (with  good  name 
and  report).  The  relatives  of  the  murdered 
man,  however,  did  not  agree  with  this  verdict, 

159 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

and  sought  his  life.  During  the  day  we  shot  an 
iguana,  and  after  a  meal  from  its  fat  tail  our 
new  acquaintance,  finding  the  pace  too  slow  for 
his  hasty  flight,  left  us,  and  I  was  not  sorry. 
We  met  a  string  of  bullock  carts,  each  drawn  by 
six  animals  and  having  a  spare  one  behind.  The 
lumbering  wagons  were  on  their  way  from  the 
Paraguayan  m4t6  fields,  and  had  a  load  of  over 
two  thousand  pounds  each.  Jolting  over  huge 
tree-trunks,  or  anon  sinking  in  a  swamp,  followed 
by  swarms  of  gad-flies,  the  patient  animals 
wended  their  way. 

Here  and  there  one  may  see  by  the  roadside 
a  large  wooden  cross,  with  a  rudely  carved 
wooden  rooster  on  the  top,  while  below  it  are  the 
nails,  scourge,  hammer,  pincers  and  spear  of  grue- 
some crucifixion  memory.  At  other  places  there 
are  smaller  shrines  with  a  statuette  of  the  Virgin 
inside,  and  candles  invariably  burning,  provided 
by  the  generous  wayfarers.  It  is  interesting  to 
note  that  the  old  Indians  had,  at  the  advent  of 
the  Spaniards,  cairns  of  stones  along  their  paths, 
and  the  pious  Indian  would  contribute  a  stone 
when  he  passed  as  an  offering  to  Pachacamac, 
who  would  keep  away  the  evil  spirits.  That 
custom  is  still  kept  up  by  the  modern 
Paraguayan,  with  the  difference  that  now  it  is 
given  to  the  Virgin.  My  guide  would  get  down 
from  his  horse  when  we  arrived  at  these  altars, 
and  contribute  a  stone  to  the  ever-growing  heap. 
If  a  specially  bright  one  is  offered,  he  told  me 
it  was  more  gratifying  to  the  Virgin.  Feeling 
that  we  were  very  likely  to  meet  with  many  evil 
spirits,    Timeoto    carefully    sought    for    bright 

160 


Paraguay. 

stones.  The  people  are  very  religious.  How  old 
superstitions  and  customs  cling.  Modem  Ameri- 
cans nail  up  the  horseshoe  and  avoid  thirteen.  Is 
it  strange  the  Paraguayan  thinks  he  can  be  a 
pagan  and  Christian  at  the  same  time?  As  we 
began  to  leave  the  haunts  of  men  and  the  cairns 
of  stones  were  left  behind  Timoteo  carefully  made 
others. 

Sighting  a  miserable  hut,  we  called  to  inquire 
for  meat.  The  master  of  the  hoase,  I  dis- 
covered, was  a  leper,  and  I  further  learned,  on 
asking  if  I  might  water  my  horses,  that  the 
nearest  water  was  three  miles  away.  The  man 
and  wife  and  their  large  family  certainly  looked 
as  though  water  was  a  luxury  too  costly  to  use 
on  the  skin.  The  leper  was  most  hospitable, 
however;  he  killed  a  sheep  for  us,  and  we  sat 
down  to  a  feast  of  mutton.  After  this  we  pushed 
on  to  water  the  horses.  By  sunset  we  arrived 
at  a  cattle  ranch  near  the  river  Ipan6,  and  there 
we  stayed  for  the  night.  At  supper  all  dipped 
in  the  same  stew-pan,  and  afterwards  rinsed  out 
the  mouth  with  large  draughts  of  water,  which 
they  squirted  back  on  the  brick  floor  of  thle 
dining-room.  The  men  then  smoked  cigarettes  of 
tobacco  rolled  in  corn  leaves,  and  the  women 
smoked  their  six-inch-long  cigars.  Finding  that 
two  of  the  men  understood  Spanish,  I  read  some 
simple  parts  of  scripture  to  them  by  the  light 
of  a  dripping  grease  lamp.  They  listened  in 
silence,  and  wondered  at  the  strange  new  story. 
The  mosquitoes  were  so  troublesome  that  a  large 
platform,  twenty  feet  high,  had  been  erected,  and 
after  reading  all  the  inmates  of  the  house,  with 
us,  ascended  the  ladder  leading  to  the  top.    There 

161 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback, 

the  mosquitoes  did  not  disturb  us,  so  we  slept 
peacefully  on  our  aerial  roost  between  the  fire- 
flies of  the  earth  and  the  stars  of  heaven. 

Next  day  we  came  to  a  solitary  house,  where  T 
noticed  strings  of  meat  hung  in  the  sun  to  dry. 
This  is  left,  like  so  many  stockings  and  hand- 
kerchiefs, hanging  there  until  it  is  hard  as  wood ; 
it  will  then  keep  for  an  indefinite  time.     There 
we  got  a  good  dinner  of  fresh  beef,  and  about  ten 
pounds  of  the  dried  meat  {char qui)  to  take  away 
with  us.    At  this  place  I  bought  two  more  horses, 
and  we  each  got  a  large  bullock's  horn  in  which 
to  carry  water,  swinging  from  the  saddle-tree.    I 
was  not  sorry  to  leave  this  house,  for,  tearing  up 
the  offal  around  the  building,  I  counted  as  many 
as  sixty  black  vultures.  Their  king,  a  dirty  white 
bird  with  crimson  neck  covered  with  gore  and 
filth,  had  already  gorged  himself  with  all  the 
blood  he  could  get.    "  All  his  sooty  subjects  stand 
apart  at  a  respectful  distance,  whetting  their 
appetites  and  regaling  their  nostrils,  but  never 
dreaming  of  an  approach  to  the  carcass  till  their 
master  has  sunk  into  a  state  of  repletion.  When 
the  kingly  bird,  by  falling  on  his  side,  closing  his 
eyes,  and  stretching  on  the  ground  his  unclenched 
talons,  gives  notice  to  his  surrounding  and  ex- 
pectant subjects  that  their  lord  and  master  has 
gone  to  rest,  up  they  hop  to  the  carcass,  which  in 
a  few  minutes  is  stripped  of  everything  eatable." 
Here  we  left  the  high-road,  which  is  cut  through 
to  Punta  Pond  on  the  Brazilian  frontier,  and 
struck  off  to  the  west.     Over  the  grassy  plains 
we  made  good  progress,  and  by  evening  were 
thirty  miles  farther  on  our  journeyt    But  when 

1(52 


Paraguay, 

we  had  to  cut  the  path  before  us  through  the 
forest,  ten  or  twelve  miles  was  a  good  day's  work. 
When  the  growth  was  very  dense,  the  morning 
and  evening  camps  were  perhaps  only  separated 
by  a  league.  Anon  we  struggled  through  a  swamp, 
or  the  horses  stuck  fast  in  a  bog,  and  the  caror 
patas  feasted  on  our  blood.  "  What  are  cara- 
patas?"  you  ask.  They  are  leeches,  bugs,  mos- 
quitos,  gad-flies,  etc.,  all  compounded  into  one 
venomous  insect!  These  voracious  green  ticks, 
the  size  of  a  bug,  are  indeed  a  terrible  scourge. 
They  fasten  on  the  body  in  scores,  and  when 
pulled  away,  either  the  piece  of  flesh  comes  with 
them  or  the  head  of  the  carapata  is  torn  off.  It 
was  easy  to  pick  a  hundred  of  these  hugs  off  the 
body  at  night,  but  it  was  not  easy  to  sleep  after 
the  ordeal!  The  poor  horses,  brushing  through 
the  branches  on  which  the  ticks  wait  for  their 
prey,  were  sometimes  half  covered  with  them! 

As  we  continued  our  journey,  a  house  was  a 
rare  sight,  and  soon  we  came  to  "  the  end  of 
Christianity,"  as  Timoteo  said,  and  all  civiliza- 
tion was  left  behind.  The  sandy  road  became  a 
track,  and  then  we  could  no  longer  follow  the 
path,  for  there  was  none  to  follow.  Timoteo  had 
traversed  those  regions  before  in  search  of  the 
m^t6  plant,  however,  and  with  my  compass  I  kept 
the  general  direction. 

After  about  ten  days'  travel,  during  which 
time  we  had  many  reminders  that  the  flesh-pots 
had  been  left  behind,  "  Che  can4  o"  {\  am  tired) 
was  frequently  heard.  Game  was  exceedingly 
scarce,  and  it  was  possible  to  travel  for  days 

163 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horsehack. 

without  sighting  any  animal  or  ostrich.  We 
passed  no  houses,  and  saw  no  human  beings. 
For  two  days  we  subsisted  on  hard  Indian  corn. 
Water  was  scarce,  and  for  a  week  we  were  unable 
to  wash.  Jiggers  got  into  our  feet  when  sleeping 
on  the  ground,  and  these  caused  great  pain  and 
annoyance.  Someone  has  described  a  jigger  as 
"a  cross  between  Satan  and  a  woodtick."  The 
little  insects  lay  their  eggs  between  the  skin  and 
flesh.  When  the  young  hatch  out,  they  begin 
feeding  on  the  blood,  and  quickly  grow  half  an 
inch  long  and  cause  an  intense  itching.  My  feet 
were  swollen  so  much  that  I  could  not  get  on 
my  riding-boots,  and,  consequently,  my  lower 
limbs  were  more  exposed  than  ever.  If  not  soon 
cut  out,  the  flesh  around  them  begins  to  rot,  and 
mortification  sometimes  ensues. 

On  some  of  the  savannas  we  were  able  to  kill 
deer  and  ostrich,  but  they  generally  were  very 
scarce.  Our  fare  was  varied;  sometimes  we 
feasted  on  parrot  pie  or  vultures'  eggs ;  again  we 
lay  down  on  the  hard,  stony  ground  supperlesa 
At  such  times  I  would  be  compelled  to  rise  from 
time  to  time  and  tighten  up  my  belt,  until  I  must 
have  resembled  one  of  the  ladies  of  fashion,  so  far 
as  the  waist  was  concerned.  Again  we  came  to 
marshy  ground,  filled  with  royal  duck,  teal, 
water-hens,  snipe,  etc,  and  forgot  the  pangs  of 
past  hunger.  At  such  places  we  would  fill  our 
horns  and  drink  the  putrid  water,  or  take  off  our 
shirts  and  wash  them  and  our  bodies.  Mud  had 
to  serve  for  soap.  Our  washing,  spread  out  on 
the  reeds,  would  soon  dry,  and  off  we  would  start 
for  another  stage. 

164 


Paraguay, 

The  unpeopled  state  of  the  country  was  a 
constant  wonder  to  me;  generations  have  dis- 
appeared without  leaving  a  trace  of  their  exist- 
ence. Sometimes  I  stopped  to  admire  the  pure 
white  water-lilies  growing  on  stagnant  black 
water,  or  the  lovely  Victoria  Regia,  the  leaf  of 
which  is  at  times  so  large  as  to  weigh  ten 
pounds.  The  flowers  have  white  petals,  tinted 
with  rose,  and  the  centre  is  a  deep  violet.  Their 
weight  is  between  two  and  three  pounds. 

Wherever  we  camped  we  lit  immense  fires  of 
brushwood,  and  generally  slept  peacefully,  but 
with  loaded  rifle  at  arm's  length. 

A  portion  of  land  which  I  rode  over  while  in 
that  district  must  have  been  just  a  thin  crust 
covering  a  mighty  cave.  The  horses'  footfalls 
made  hollow  sounds,  and  when  the  thin  roof 
shook  I  half  expected  to  be  precipitated  into 
unknown  depths. 

After  many  weeks  of  varied  experiences  we 
arrived  at  or  near  the  land  I  was  seeking. 
There,  on  the  banks  of  a  river,  we  struck  camp, 
and  from  there  I  made  short  excursions  in  all 
directions  in  order  to  ascertain  the  approximate 
value  of  the  old  gentleman's  estate.  On  the 
land  we  came  upon  an  encampment  of  poor,  half 
or  wholly  naked  Caingwa  Indians.  By  them  we 
were  kindly  received,  and  found  that,  notwith- 
standing their  extremely  sunken  condition  and 
abject  poverty,  they  seemed  to  have  mandioca 
and  bananas  in  abundance.  In  return  for  a  few 
knives  and  beads,  I  was  able  to  purchase  quite  a 
stock.  Seeing  that  all  the  dishes,  plates,  and 
bottles  they  have  grow  in  the  form  of  gourds, 

1G5 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

they  imagine  all  such  things  we  use  also  grow. 
It  was  amusing  to  hear  them  ask  for  seeds  of  the 
glass  medicine  bottles  I  carried  with  me. 

A  drum,  ingeniously  made  by  stretching  a  ser- 
pent's skin  over  a  large  calabash,  was  monoton- 
ously beaten  as  our  good-night  lullaby  when  we 
stretched  ourselves  out  on  the  grass. 

The  Caingwa  men  all  had  their  lower  lip 
pierced,  and  hanging  down  over  the  breast  was 
a  thin  stick  about  ten  inches  long.  Their  faces 
were  also  painted  in  strange  patterns. 

Learning  from  their  chief  that  the  royal  tribe 
to  which  they  originally  belonged  lived  away  in 
the  depths  of  the  forest  to  the  east,  some  moons 
distant,  I  became  curious.  After  repeated  en- 
quiries I  was  told  that  a  king  ruled  the  people 
there,  and  that  they  daily  worshipped  the  sun. 
Hearing  of  these  sun-worshippers,  I  determined, 
if  possible,  to  push  on  thither.  The  old  chief 
himself  offered  to  direct  us  if,  in  return,  I  would 
give  him  a  shirt,  a  knife,  and  a  number  of  white 
beads.  The  bargain  was  struck,  and  arrange- 
ments were  made  to  start  off  at  sunrise  next  day. 
My  commission  was  not  only  to  see  the  old 
gentleman's  land,  but  to  visit  the  surrounding 
Indians,  with  a  view  to  missionary  work  being 
commenced  among  them. 

The  morning  dawned  clear  and  propitious,  but 
the  chief  had  decided  not  to  go.  On  enquiring 
the  reason  for  the  change  of  mind,  I  discovered 
that  his  people  had  been  telling  him  that  I  only 
wanted  to  get  him  into  the  forest  in  order  to  kill 
him,  and  that  I  would  not  give  him  the  promised 
shirt  and  beads.     I  thought  that  it  was  much 

166 


Paraguay. 

more  likely  for  him  to  kill  me  than  I  him,  and  1 
set  his  mind  at  rest  about  the  reward,  for  on  the 
spot  I  gave  him  the  coveted  articles  On  receipt 
of  those  luxuries  his  doubts  of  me  fled,  and  I 
soon  assured  him  that  I  had  no  intention  what- 
ever of  taking  his  life.  Towards  noon  we  started 
off,  and,  winding  our  way  through  the  Indian 
paths  in  single  file,  we  again  soon  left  behind  us 
all  signs  of  man,  and  saw  nothing  to  mark  that 
any  had  passed  that  way  before. 

That  night,  as  we  sat  under  a  large  silk-cotton 
tree  silently  eating  supper  off  plates  of  palm 
leaves,  the  old  chief  suddenly  threw  down  his 
meat,  and,  with  a  startled  expression,  said,  "  I 
hear  spirits !  "  Never  having  heard  such  ethereal 
visitors  myself,  I  smiled  incredulously,  where- 
upon the  old  savage  glared  at  me,  and,  leaving 
his  food  upon  the  ground  went  away  out  of  the 
firelight  into  the  darkness.  Afraid  that  he 
might  take  one  of  the  horses  and  return  to  his 
people,  I  followed  to  soothe  him,  but  his  offended 
mood  did  not  pass  until,  as  he  said,  the  spirits 
had  gone. 

On  the  third  day  scarcity  of  water  began  to 
be  felt.  We  had  been  slowly  ascending  the  rugged 
steeps  of  a  mountain,  and  as  the  day  wore  on 
the  thirst  grew  painful.  That  night  both  we  and 
the  horses  had  to  be  content  with  the  dew-drops 
we  sucked  from  the  grass,  and  our  dumb  com- 
panions showed  signs  of  great  exhaustion.  The 
Indian  assured  me  that  if  we  could  push  on  we 
would,  by  next  evening,  come  to  a  beautiful  lake 
in  the  mountains ;  so,  ere  the  sun  rose  next  raom- 

167 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horsehack. 

ing,  we  were  in  the  saddle  on  our  journey  to  the 
coveted  water. 

All  that  day  we  plodded  along  painfully, 
silently.  Our  lips  were  dried  together,  and  our 
tongues  swollen.  Thirst  hurts !  The  horses  hung 
their  heads  and  ears,  and  we  were  compelled  to 
dismount  and  go  afoot.  The  poor  creatures  were 
getting  so  thin  that  our  weight  seemed  to  crush 
them  to  the  earth.  The  sun  again  set,  darkness 
fell,  and  the  lake  was,  for  all  I  could  see,  a  dream 
of  the  chief,  our  guide.  At  night,  after  repeat- 
ing the  sucking  of  the  dew,  we  ate  a  little,  drank 
the  blood  of  an  animal,  and  tried  to  sleep.  The 
patient  horses  stood  beside  us  with  closed  eyes 
and  bowed  heads,  until  the  sight  was  more  than 
I  could  bear.  Fortunately,  a  very  heavy  dew  fell, 
which  greatly  helped  us,  and  two  hours  before 
sunrise  next  morning  the  loads  were  equally  dis- 
tributed on  the  backs  of  the  seven  horses  and  we 
started  off  once  again  through  the  mist  for 
water!  water!  When  the  sun  illuminated  the 
heavens  and  lit  up  the  rugged  peaks  of  the 
strangely  shaped  mountains  ahead  of  us,  hope 
was  revived.  We  sucked  the  fruit  of  the  date 
palm,  and  in  imagination  bathed  and  wallowed 
in  the  water — beautiful  water — we  so  soon 
expected  to  behold.  The  poor  horses,  however, 
not  buoyed  up  with  sweet  hopes  as  we  were,  gave 
out,  one  after  the  other,  and  wo  were  compelled 
to  cruelly  urge  them  on  up  the  steep.  With  it  all, 
I  had  to  leave  two  of  the  weaker  ones  behind, 
purposing,  if  God  should  in  kindness  permit  us 
to  reach  water,  to  return  and  save  them. 

168 


Paraguay. 

That  afternoon  the  Indian  chief,  who,  though 
an  old  man,  had  shown  wonderful  fortitude  and 
endurance,  and  still  led  the  way,  shouted: 
^* Eyoape!  Eyoapel"  (Cornel  (Cornel)  We  were 
near  the  lake.  With  new-born  strength  I  left  all 
and  ran,  broke  through  the  brushwood  of  the 
shore,  jumped  into  the  lake,  and  found — nothing 
but  hard  earth!  The  lake  was  dried  up!  I  dug 
my  heel  into  the  ground  to  see  if  below  the  sur- 
face there  might  be  soft  mud,  but  failing  to  find 
even  that,  I  dropped  over  with  the  world  dancing 
in  distorted  visions  before  my  eyes.  More  I 
cannot  relate. 

How  long  I  lay  there  I  never  knew.  The 
Indian,  I  learned  later,  exploring  a  deep  gully 
at  the  other  side,  found  a  putrid  pool  of  slime, 
full  of  poisonous  frogs  and  alive  with  insects. 
Some  of  this  liquid  he  brought  to  me  in  his  hands, 
and,  after  putting  it  in  my  mouth,  had  the  satis- 
faction of  seeing  me  revive.  I  dimly  remember 
that  my  next  act  was  to  crawl  towards  the  water- 
hole  he  guided  me  to.  In  this  I  lay  and  drank.  I 
suppose  it  soaked  into  my  system  as  rain  in  the 
earth  after  a  drought.  That  stagnant  pool  was 
our  salvation.  The  horses  were  brought  up,  and 
we  drank,  and  drank  again.  Not  until  our  thirst 
was  slaked  did  we  fully  realize  how  the  water 
stank !  When  the  men  were  suflQciently  refreshed 
they  returned  for  the  abandoned  horses,  which 
were  found  still  alive.  Had  they  scented  water 
somewhere  and  drank?  At  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tains, on  tne  other  side,  we  later  discovered  much 
better  water,  and  there  we  camped,  our  horses 
revelling  in  the  abundant  pasturage. 

169 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

After  this  rest  we  continued  our  journey,  and 
next  day  came  to  the  edge  of  a  virgin  forest. 
Through  that,  the  chief  said,  we  must  cut  our 
way,  for  the  royal  tribe  never  came  out,  and  were 
never  visited.  Close  to  the  edge  of  the  forest  was 
a  deep  precipice,  at  the  bottom  of  which  we  could 
discern  a  silvery  streak  of  clear  water.  From 
there  we  must  procure  the  precious  fluid  for 
ourselves  and  horses.  Taking  our  kettle  and 
horns,  we  sought  the  best  point  to  descend,  and 
after  considerable  difficulty,  clinging  to  the 
branches  of  the  overhanging  trees  and  the  dense 
undergrowth,  we  reached  the  bottom.  After 
slaking  our  thirst  we  ascended  with  filled  horns 
and  kettle  to  water  the  horses.  As  may  be  sup- 
posed, this  was  a  tedious  task,  and  the  descent 
had  to  be  made  many  times  before  the  horses 
were  satisfied.    My  hat  served  for  watering  pail. 

Next  morning  the  same  process  was  repeated, 
and  then  the  men,  each  with  long  machetes  I  had 
provided,  set  to  work  to  cut  a  path  through  the 
forest,  and  Old  Stabbed  Arm  went  off  in  search 
of  game.  After  a  two  hours'  hunt,  a  fat  ostrich 
fell  before  his  rifle,  and  he  returned  to  camp. 
We  still  had  a  little  chipd,  which  had  by  this  time 
become  as  hard  as  stone,  but  which  I  jealously 
guarded  to  use  only  in  case  of  the  greatest  emer- 
gency. At  times  we  had  been  very  hungry,  but 
my  order  was  that  it  should  not  be  touched. 

Only  the  reader  who  has  seen  the  virgin  forest, 
with  its  interlacing  lianas,  thick  as  a  man's  leg — 
the  thorns  six  inches  long  and  sharp  as  needles — 
can  form  an  idea  of  the  task  before  us.  As  we 
penetrated  farther  and  farther  in  the  selva,  the 

170 


Piiraguay. 

darkness  became  deeper  and  deeper.  Giant  trees 
reared  their  heads  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  into 
the  heavens,  and  beautiful  palms,  with  slender 
trunks  and  delicate,  feathery  leaves,  waved  over 
us.  The  medicinal  plants  were  represented  by 
sarsaparilla  and  many  others  equally  valuable. 
There  was  the  cocoa  palm,  the  date  palm,  and 
the  cabbage  palm,  the  latter  of  which  furnished 
us  good  food,  while  the  wine  tree  afforded  an 
excellent  and  cooling  drink.  In  parts  all  was 
covered  with  beautiful  pendant  air-flowers, 
gorgeous  with  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow. 
Monkeys  chattered  and  parrots  screamed,  but 
otherwise  there  was  a  sombre  stillness.  The  ex- 
halations from  the  depth  of  rotting  leaves  and 
the  decaying  fallen  wood  rendered  the  steamy 
atmosphere  most  poisonous.  Truly,  the  flora  was 
magnificent,  and  the  fauna,  represented  by  the 
spotted  jaguar,  whose  roar  at  times  broke  the 
awful  quiet  of  the  night,  was  equally  grand. 

As  the  chief,  ignorant  of  hours  and  miles,  could 
not  tell  me  the  extent  of  the  forest,  I  determined 
to  let  him  and  Timoteo  make  their  way  through 
as  best  they  could,  crawling  through  the  branches, 
to  the  Sun- Worshippers,  and  secure  their  help  in 
cutting  a  way  for  the  horses.  After  dividing  the 
food  I  had,  we  separated,  Timoteo  and  the 
Indian  crept  into  the  forest  and  were  soon  lost 
sight  of,  while  Old  Stabbed  Arm  and  I,  with  the 
horses,  retraced  our  steps,  and  reached  the  open 
land  again.  After  an  earnest  conversation  my 
companion  shouldered  his  rifle  and  went  off  to 
hunt,  and  I  was  left  with  only  the  companionship 
of  the  grazing  horses.     I  remained  behind  to 

171 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

water  the  animals,  and  protect  our  goods  from 
any  prowling  savage  who  might  chance  to  be  in 
the  neighborhood.  My  saddle-bed  was  spread 
under  a  large  burning  bush,  or  incense  tree,  and 
my  self-imposed  duty  was  to  keep  a  fire  burning 
in  the  open,  that  its  smoke  might  be  seen  by  day 
and  its  light  by  night. 

Going  exploring  a  little,  I  discovered  a  much 
better  descent  down  the  precipice,  and  water  was 
more  easily  brought  up.    Indeed,  I  decided  that, 
if  a  certain  deep  chasm  were  bridged  over,  it 
might  be  possible  to  get  the  horses  themselves  to 
descend  by  a  winding  way.   With  this  object  in 
view  I  felled  saplings  near  the  place,  and  in  a 
few  hours  constructed  a  rough  bridge,   strong 
enough  to  bear  a  horse's  weight.    Whether  the 
animals  could  smell  the  water  flowing  at  the  bot- 
tom, or  were  more  agile  than  I  had  thought,  I 
cannot  tell,  but  they  descended  the  almost  per- 
pendicular path  most  wonderfully,  and  soon  were 
taking  draughts  of  the  precious  liquid  with  great 
gusto.    Leaving  the  horses  to  enjoy  their  drink,  I 
ascended  the  stream  for  some  distance,  in  order 
to  (discover,  if  posssible,  where  the  flow  came 
from.    Judge  of  my  surprise  when  I  found  that 
the  w^ater  ran  out  of  a  grotto,  or  cavern,  in  the 
face  of  the  cliff — out  of  the  unknown  darkness 
into  the  sunlight!    Walking  up  the  bed  of  the 
stream,  I  entered  the  cave,  and,  striking  a  few 
matches,  found  it  to  be  inhabited  by  hundreds  of 
vampire  bats,  which  were  hanging  from  the  sides 
and  stalactites  of  the  roof,  like  so  many  damp, 
black  rags.    On  my  entrance  the  unearthly  crea- 
tures were  disturbed,  and  many  came  flying  in 

172 


Paraguay. 

my  face,  so  I  made  a  quick  exit.  Several  which 
I  killed  came  floating  down  the  stream  with  me; 
one  that  I  measured  proved  to  be  twenty-two 
inches  across  the  wings.  My  exploration  had 
discovered  the  secret  of  the  clots  of  blood  we  had 
been  finding  on  the  horses'  necks  every  morning. 
The  vampire-bats,  in  their  nightly  flights,  had 
been  sucking  the  life-blood  of  our  poor,  already 
starving  animals!  It  is  said  these  loathsome 
creatures — half  beast,  half  bird — fan  their  victim 
to  sleep  while  they  drain  out  the  red  blood.  Pro- 
vided with  palm  torches,  I  again  entered  the 
cavern,  but  could  not  penetrate  its  depths;  it 
seemed  to  go  right  into  the  bowels  of  the  moun- 
tain. Exploring  down  stream  was  more  success- 
ful, for  large  flamingoes  and  wild  ducks  and 
geese  were  found  in  plenty. 

That  night  I  carefully  staked  out  the  horses 
all  around  the  camp-flre  and  lay  down  to  think 
and  sleep  and  dream.  Old  Stabbed  Arm  had  not 
returned,  and  I  was  alone  with  nature.  Several 
times  I  rose  to  see  if  the  horses  were  securely 
tied,  and  to  kill  any  bats  I  might  find  disturbing 
them.  Rising  in  the  grey  dawn,  I  watered  the 
horses,  cooked  a  piece  of  ostrich  meat,  and 
started  off  on  foot  for  a  short  distance  to  explore 
the  country  to  the  north,  where  I  saw  many  indi- 
cations that  tapirs  were  numerous.  My  first 
sight  of  this  peculiar  animal  of  Paraguay  I  shall 
never  forget.  It  resembles  no  other  beast  I  have 
ever  seen,  but  seems  half  elephant,  with  its 
muzzle  like  a  short  trunk.  In  size  it  is  about  six 
feet  long  and  three  and  a  half  feet  high  There 
were  also  ant-bears,  peculiar  animals,  without 

173 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horsehack. 

teeth,  but  provided  with  a  rough  tongue  to  lick  up 
the  ants.  The  length  of  this  animal  is  about 
four  feet,  but  the  thick  tail  is  longer  than  the 
body.  Whereas  the  tapir  has  a  hog-like  skin^  the 
ant-bear  has  long,  bristly  hairs. 

Returning  to  camp,  judge  of  my  surprise  when 
I  found  it  in  possession  of  two  savages  of  strange 
appearance.  My  first  thought  was  that  I  had  lost 
all,  but,  drawing  nearer,  I  discovered  that 
Timoteo  and  the  chief  were  also  there,  squatting 
on  the  ground,  devouring  the  remains  of  my 
breakfast.  They  had  returned  from  the  royal 
tribe,  who  had  offered  to  cut  a  way  from  their 
side,  and  these  two  strangers  were  to  assist  us. 

With  this  additional  help  we  again  penetrated 
the  forest.  The  men  cut  with  a  will,  and  I  drove 
the  horses  after  them.  Black,  howling  monkeys, 
with  long  beards  and  grave  countenances,  leapt 
among  the  trees.  Red  and  blue  macaws  screeched 
overhead,  and  many  a  large  serpent  received  its 
death-blow  from  our  machetes.  Sometimes  we 
were  fortunate  enough  to  secure  a  bees'  nest  full 
of  honey,  or  find  luscious  fruit.  At  times  I 
stopped  to  admire  a  giant  tree,  eight  or  ten  feet 
in  diameter,  or  orchids  of  the  most  delicate  hues, 
but  the  passage  was  hard  and  trying,  and  the 
stagnant  air  most  difficult  to  breathe.  The  fallen 
tree-trunks,  over  which  we  had  to  step,  or  go 
around  or  under,  were  very  numerous,  and  some- 
times we  landed  in  a  bed,  not  of  roses,  but  of 
thorns.  Sloths  and  strange  birds'  nests  hung 
from  the  trees,  while  the  mosquitos  and  insects 
made  life  almost  unendurable.  We  were  covered 

174 


PARAGUAYAN   FOREST  INDIAN. 

These  dwarf  men  use  a  very  long  bow.   while  the  Patagonian  uses  a  short  one. 

[175] 


Paraguay. 

with  carapatas,  bruised  and  torn,  and  almost 
eaten  up  alive  with  insects. 

Under  the  spreading  branches  of  one  of  the 
largest  trees  we  came  upon  an  abandoned  In- 
dian camp.  This,  I  was  told,  had  belonged  to 
the  "little  men  of  the  woods,"  hairy  dwarfs,  a 
few  of  whom  inhabit  the  depths  of  the  forest,  and 
kill  their  game  with  blow-pipes.  Of  course  we 
saw  none  of  the  poor  creatures.  Their  scent  is 
as  keen  as  an  animal's ;  they  are  agile  as  monkeys, 
and  make  off  to  hide  in  the  hollow  trunks  of 
trees,  or  bury  themselves  in  the  decaying  vegeta- 
tion until  danger  is  past.  Poor  pigmy!  What 
place  will  he  occupy  in  the  life  that  is  to  be? 


177 


CHAPTER  X. 
WE  REACH  THE  SUN-WORSHIPPERS. 

After  some  days'  journey  we  heard  shouts, 
and  knew  that,  like  entombed  miners,  we  were 
being  dug  out  on  the  other  side!  The  Caingwas 
soon  met  us,  and  I  looked  into  their  faces  and 
gravely  saluted.  They  stared  at  me  in  speechless 
astonishment,  and  I  as  curiously  regarded  them. 
Each  man  had  his  lower  lip  pierced  and  wore  the 
harhote  I  have  described,  with  the  difference  that 
these  were  made  of  gum. 

With  a  clear  path  before  us  we  now  made 
better  progress,  and  before  long  emerged  from 
the  living  tomb,  but  the  memory  of  it  will  ever 
remain  a  nightmare. 

We  found  a  crowd  of  excited  Indians,  young 
and  old,  awaiting  us.  Many  of  the  females  ran 
like  frightened  deer  on  catching  sight  of  me,  but 
an  old  man,  whom  I  afterwards  learned  was  the 
High  Priest  of  the  tribe,  came  and  asked  my 
business.  Assuring  him,  through  Timoteo,  that 
my  mission  was  peaceable,  and  that  I  had  pres- 
ents for  them,  he  gave  me  permission  to  enter 
into  the  glade,  where  I  was  told  Nandeyara*  had 
placed  them  at  the  beginning  of  the  world.  Had 
I  discovered  the  Garden  of  Eden,  the  place  from 
which  man  had  been  wandering  for  6,000  years? 

•"Our  Owner,"  the  most  beautiful  word  for  God  I  have 
ever  heard.  ,^„ 

178 


Paraguay, 

I  was  conducted  by  Rocanandivd  (the  high 
priest)  down  a  steep  path  to  the  valley,  where  we 
came  in  view  of  several  large  peculiarly  shaped 
houses,  built  of  bamboo.  Near  these  dwellings 
were  perhaps  a  hundred  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren, remnants  of  a  vanishing  nation.  Some  had 
a  mat  around  their  loins,  but  many  were  naked. 
All  the  males  had  the  harhote  in  the  lip,  and  had 
exceptionally  thick  hair,  matted  with  grease  and 
mud.  Most  of  them  had  a  repellant  look  on  their 
pigment-painted  faces,  and  I  could  very  distinctly 
see  that  I  was  not  a  welcome  visitor.  No,  I  had 
not  reached  Eden !  Only  "  beyond  the  clouds  and 
beyond  the  tomb  "  would  the  bowers  of  Eden  be 
discovered  to  me.  Hearing  domestic  hens  cack- 
ling around  the  houses,  I  bade  Timoteo  tell  the 
priest  that  we  were  very  hungry,  and  that  if  he 
killed  two  chickens  for  us  I  would  give  him  a 
beautiful  gift  later  on.  The  priest  distinctly 
informed  me,  however,  that  I  must  give  first,  or 
no  fowl  would  be  killed.  From  that  decision  I 
tried  to  move  him,  urging  that  I  was  tired,  the 
pack  was  hard  to  undo,  and  to-morrow,  when  I 
was  rested,  I  would  well  repay  them  the  kind- 
ness. My  words  were  thrown  away;  not  a  bite 
should  we  eat  until  the  promised  knife  was  given. 
I  was  faint  with  hunger,  but  from  the  load  on  the 
packhorse  I  procured  the  knife,  which  I  handed 
to  my  unwilling  host  with  the  promise  of  other 
gifts  later  On  receipt  of  this  treasure  he  gave 
orders  to  the  boys  standing  off  at  a  distance  to 
catch  two  chickens.  The  birds  were  knocked  over 
by  the  stones  thrown  at  them.  Two  women  now 
came  forward  with  clay  pots  on  their  heads  and 

179 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

fire-sticks  in  their  hands,  and  they  superin- 
tended the  cooking.  Without  cutting  off  either 
heads  or  legs,  or  pulling  out  the  birds'  feathers, 
the  chickens  were  placed  in  the  pots  with  water. 
Lying  down  near  the  fire,  I,  manlike,  impatiently 
waited  for  supper.  Perhaps  a  minute  had 
dragged  its  weary  length  along  when  I  picked 
up  a  stick  from  the  ground  and  poked  one  of  the 
fowls  out  of  the  water,  which  was  not  yet  warm. 
Holding  the  bird  in  one  hand,  and  pulling  feath- 
ers out  of  my  mouth  with  the  other,  I  ate  as  my 
forefathers  did  ages  ago.  Years  before  this  I 
had  learned  that  a  hungry  man  can  eat  what  an 
epicure  despises.  After  this  feast  I  lay  down  on 
the  ground  behind  one  of  the  tepees,  and,  with 
my  head  resting  on  my  most  valued  possessions, 
went  to  sleep. 

Having  promised  to  give  the  priest  and  his 
wife  another  present,  I  was  awakened  very  early 
next  morning.  They  had  come  for  their  gifts. 
Rising  from  my  hard  bed,  I  stretched  myself  and 
awoke  my  servant,  under  whose  head  were  the 
looking-glasses.  I  presented  one  of  these  to  the 
woman,  who  looked  in  it  with  satisfaction  and 
evident  pleasure.  Whether  she  was  pleased  with 
her  reflection  or  with  the  glass  I  cannot  tell,  but 
I  feel  sure  it  must  have  been  the  latter !  A  neck- 
lace to  the  daughter  and  a  further  gift  to  the  old 
man  gained  their  friendship,  and  food  was 
brought  to  us.  After  partaking  of  this  I  was 
informed  that  the  king  desired  to  see  me,  and 
that  I  must  proceed  at  once  to  his  hut. 

His  majesty  (?)  lived  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river,  close  at  hand.   This  water  was  of  course 

180 


Paraguay. 

anbridged,  so,  in  order  to  cross,  I  was  compelled 
to  divest  myself  of  my  clothing  and  walk  through 
it  in  nature's  garb.  The  water  came  up  to  my 
breast,  and  once  I  thought  the  clothes  I  carried 
on  my  head  would  get  wet.  Dressing  on  the 
other  side,  I  presented  myself  at  the  king's  abode. 
There  I  was  kindly  received,  being  invited  to  take 
up  my  quarters  with  him  and  his  royal  family. 
The  king  was  a  tall  man  of  somewhat  command- 
ing appearance,  but,  save  for  the  loin  cloth,  he 
was  naked,  like  the  rest.  The  queen,  a  little 
woman,  was  as  scantily  dressed  as  her  husband. 
She  was  very  shy,  and  I  noticed  the  rest  of  the 
inmates  of  the  hut  peeping  through  the  crevices 
of  the  corn-stalk  partition  of  an  inner  room.  After 
placing  around  the  shapely  neck  of  the  queen  a 
specially  fine  necklace  I  had  brought,  and  giving 
the  king  a  large  hunting-knife,  I  was  regaled  with 
roasted  yams,  and  later  on  with  a  whole  water- 
melon. 

Timoteo,  my  servant,  whose  native  language 
was  Guarani,  could  understand  most  of  the  idiom 
of  the  Sun  Worshippers,  which  we  found  to  be 
similar  to  that  spoken  by  the  civilized  inhabit- 
ants of  the  country.  There  must  therefore  have 
been  some  connection  between  the  two  peoples 
at  one  time.  The  questions,  "Where  have  you 
come  from? "  "  Why  have  you  come? "  were 
asked  and  answered,  and  I,  in  return,  learned 
much  of  this  strange  tribe.  Mdt6  was  served,  but 
whereas  in  the  outside  world  a  rusty  tin  tube  to 
suck  it  through  is  in  possession  of  even  the  poor- 
est, here  they  used  only  a  reed  I  was  astonished 
to  find  the  m4t6  sweetened.    Knowing  that  they 

181 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

could  not  possibly  have  any  of  the  luxuries  of 
civilization,  I  made  enquiries  regarding  this,  and 
was  told  that  they  used  a  herb  which  grew  in  the 
valley,  to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  cd-ha 
h4-h^  (sweet  herb).  This  plant,  which  is  not 
unlike  clover,  is  sweet  as  sugar,  whether  eaten 
green  or  in  a  dried  state. 

There  was  not  a  seat  of  any  description  in 
the  hut,  but  the  king  said,  "Eguapu"  ("Sit 
down"),  so  I  squatted  on  the  earthen  floor.  A 
broom  is  not  to  be  found  in  the  kingdom,  and 
the  house  had  never  been  swept! 

A  curiosity  I  noticed  was  the  calabash  which 
the  king  carried  attached  to  his  belt.  This  relic 
was  regarded  with  great  reverence,  and  at  first 
His  Majesty  declined  to  reveal  its  character;  but 
after  I  had  won  his  confidence  by  gifts  of  beads 
and  mirrors,  he  became  more  communicative. 
One  day,  in  a  burst  of  pride,  he  told  me  that  the 
gourd  contained  the  ashes  of  his  ancestors,  who 
w^ere  the  ancient  kings.  Though  the  Spaniards 
sought  to  carefully  rout  out  and  destroy  all  direct 
descendants  of  the  royal  family  of  the  Incas, 
their  historians  tell  us  that  some  remote  con- 
nections escaped.  The  Indians  of  Peru  have 
legends  to  the  effect  that  at  the  time  of  the  Span- 
ish invasion  an  Inca  chieftain  led  an  emigration 
of  his  people  down  the  mountains.  Humboldt, 
writing  in  the  18th  century,  said :  "  It  is  inter- 
esting to  inquire  whether  any  other  princes  of 
the  family  of  Manco  Capac  have  remained  in  the 
forests;  and  if  there  still  exist  any  of  the  Incas 
of  Peru  in  other  places."  Had  I  discovered  some 
descendants  of  this  vanished  race?   The  Montreal 

182 


Paraguay. 

Journal,  commenting  on  my  discovery,  said: 
"  The  question  is  of  extreme  interest  to  the  scien- 
tific enquirer,  even  if  they  are  not  what  Mr.  Ray 
thinks  them." 

The  royal  family  consisted  of  the  parents,  a 
son  and  his  wife,  a  daughter  and  her  husband, 
and  two  younger  girls.  I  was  invited  to  sleep 
in  the  inner  room,  which  the  parents  occupied, 
and  the  two  married  couples  remained  in  the 
common  room.  All  slept  in  fibre  hammocks, 
made  greasy  and  black  by  the  smoke  from  the 
fire  burning  on  the  floor  in  the  centre  of  the 
room.  No  chimney,  window,  door,  or  article  of 
furniture  graced  the  house. 

"The  court  of  the  Incas  rivalled  that  of  Rome, 
Jerusalem,  or  any  of  the  old  Oriental  countries, 
in  riches  and  show,  the  palaces  being  decorated 
with  a  great  profusion  of  gold,  silver,  fine  cloth 
and  precious  stones."* 

An  ancient  Spanish  writer  who  measured  some 
of  the  stones  of  the  Incan  palace  at  Cuzco  tells 
us  there  were  stones  so  nicely  adjusted  that  it 
was  impossible  to  introduce  even  the  blade  of  a 
knife  between  them,  and  that  some  of  those  stones 
were  thirty-eight  feet  long,  by  eighteen  feet  broad, 
and  six  feet  thick.  What  a  descent  for  the  "Chil- 
dren of  the  Sun "  !  "  How  are  the  mighty 
fallen ! "  Thoughts  of  the  past  and  the  mean 
present  passed  through  my  mind  as  I  lay  down  in 
the  dust  of  the  earthen  floor  that  first  night  of 
my  stay  with  the  king. 

Owing  to  the  thousands  of  fleas  in  the  dust  of 
the  room  it  was  hard  for  me  to  rest  much,  and 

•Rev.    Thomas    Wood,    L.L..D.,    Lima.    Peru,    In    "Protestant 
Missions  In   Soutli  America." 

183 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback, 

that  night  a  storm  brewing  made  sleep  almost 
impossible.  As  the  thunder  pealed  forth  all  the 
Indians  of  the  houses  hastily  got  out  of  their  ham- 
mocks and  grasped  gourd  rattles  and  beautifully 
woven  cotton  banners.  The  rattles  were  shaken 
and  the  banners  waved,  while  a  droning  chant 
was  struck  up  by  the  high  priest,  and  the  louder 
the  thunder  rolled  the  louder  their  voices  rose 
and  the  more  lustily  they  shook  the  seeds  in  their 
calabashes.  They  were  trying  to  appease  the 
dread  deity  of  Thunder,  as  did  their  Inca  ances- 
tors. The  voice  of  the  old  priest  led  the  worship, 
and  for  four  hours  there  was  no  cessation  of  the 
monotonous  song,  except  when  he  performed 
some  mystic  ceremony  which  I  understood  not. 

Just  as  the  old  priest  had  awakened  me  the 
first  morning  to  ask  for  his  present,  so  the  king 
can'e  tapping  me  gently  the  second.  In  his  hand 
he  had  a  large  sweet  potato,  and  in  my  half- 
dreamy  state  I  heard  him  saying,  "  Give  me  your 
coat.  Eat  a  potato?"  The  change  I  thought  was 
greatly  to  his  advantage,  but  I  was  anxious  to 
please  him.  I  possessed  two  coats,  while  he  was, 
as  he  said,  a  poor  old  man,  and  had  no  coat.  The 
barter  was  concluded;  I  ate  the  potato,  and  he, 
with  strange  grimaces,  donned  a  coat  for  the  first 
time  in  his  life.  Think  of  this  for  an  alleged  de- 
scendant of  the  great  Atahuallpa,  whose  robes 
and  jewels  were  priceless ! 

I  offered  to  give  the  queen  a  feminine  garment 
of  white  cotton  if  she  would  wear  it,  but  this  I 
could  not  prevail  upon  her  to  do ;  it  was  "  ugly." 
As  a  loin-cloth,  she  would  use  it,  but  put  it  on — 
no!    In  the  latter  savage  style  the  shaped  gar- 

184 


Paraguay. 

ment     was     thereafter     worn.     Women     have 
fashions  all  over  the  globe. 

The  few  inches  of  clothing  worn  by  the 
Caingwa  women  are  never  washed,  and  the  only 
attempt  at  cleansing  the  body  I  saw  when  among 
them  was  that  of  a  woman  who  filled  her  mouth 
with  water  and  squirted  it  back  on  her  hands, 
which  she  then  wiped  on  her  loin-cloth ! 

Prescott,  writing  of  the  Incas,  says :  "  They 
loved  to  indulge  in  the  luxury  of  their  baths,  re- 
plenished by  streams  of  crystal  water  which  were 
conducted  through  subterraneous  silver  channels 
into  basins  of  gold." 

The  shapely  little  mouth  of  the  queen  was 
spoilt  by  the  habit  she  had  of  smoking  a  heavy 
pipe  made  of  red  clay.  I  was  struck  with  the 
weight  and  shape  of  this,  for  it  exactly  resembled 
those  made  by  the  old  cliff-dwellers,  unknown 
centuries  ago.  One  will  weigh  at  least  a  quarter 
of  a  pound.  For  a  mouth-piece  they  use  a  bird's 
quill.    The  tobacco  they  grow  themselves. 

Near  the  royal  abode  were  the  kitchen  gardens. 
A  tract  of  forest  had  been  fired,  and  this  clear- 
ing planted  with  bananas,  mandioca,  sweet  po- 
tatoes, etc.  The  blackened  trunks  of  the  trees 
rose  up  like  so  many  evil  spirits  above  the  green 
foliage.  The  garden  implements  used  were  of 
the  most  primitive  description;  a  crooked  stick 
served  for  hoe,  and  long,  heavy,  sharpened  iron- 
wood  clubs  were  used  instead  of  the  steel  plough 
of  civilization. 

As  I  have  already  remarked,  I  found  the  people 
were  sun-worshippers.  Each  morning,  just  as 
the  rising  sun  lit  up  the  eastern  sky,  young  and 

185 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

old  came  out  of  their  houses,  the  older  ones  car- 
rying empty  gourds  with  the  dry  seeds  inside. 
At  a  signal  from  the  high  priest,  a  solemn  dron- 
ing chant  was  struck  up,  to  the  monotonous  time 
kept  by  the  numerous  gourd  rattles.  As  the  sun 
rose  higher  and  higher,  the  chanting  grew  louder 
and  louder,  and  the  echoes  of  ^^Ee!  he!  he!  ha! 
ha!  ha!  laima!  laima!"  were  repeated  by  the 
distant  hills.  When  the  altar  of  incense  (de- 
scribed later)  was  illuminated  by  the  sun-god, 
the  chanting  ceased. 

After  this  solemn  worship  of  the  Orb  of  Day, 
the  women,  with  quiet  demeanor  and  in  single 
file,  went  off  to  their  work  in  the  gardens.  On 
returning,  each  carried  a  basket  made  of  light 
canes,  slung  on  the  back  and  held  up  by  plaited 
fibres  forming  a  band  which  came  across  their 
foreheads.  The  baskets  contained  the  day's  vege- 
tables. Meat  was  seldom  eaten  by  them,  but  this 
was  probably  because  of  its  scarcity,  for  when 
we  killed  an  ostrich  they  clamored  for  a  share. 
Keptiles  of  all  kinds,  and  even  caterpillars,  are 
devoured  by  them  when  hungry. 

The  Caingwas  are  under  the  average  height, 
but  use  the  longest  bows  and  arrows  I  have  ever 
seen.  Some  I  brought  away  measure  nearly  seven 
feet  in  length.  The  points  are  made  of  sharpened 
iron-wood,  notched  like  the  back  of  a  fish-hook, 
and  they  are  poisoned  with  serpent  venom.  Be- 
sides these  weapons,  it  was  certainly  strange  to 
find  them  living  in  the  stove  age,  for  in  the  hands 
of  the  older  members  of  the  tribe  were  to  be  seen 
stone  axes.  The  handles  of  these  primitive  weap- 
ons are  scraped  into  shape  by  flints,  as  probably 

186 


Paraguay. 

our  savage  forefathers  in  Europe  did  theirs  two 
thousand  years  ago. 

Entering  the  low,  narrow  doorway  of  one  of 
the  bamboo  frame  houses,  I  saw  that  it  was  di- 
vided into  ten-foot  squares  by  corn-stalk  parti- 
tions a  yard  high.  These  places,  like  so  many 
stalls  for  horses,  run  down  each  side  of  the  hoqd. 
One  family  occupies  a  division,  sleeping  in  net 
hammocks  made  of  long,  coarse  grass.  A  "  family 
man  "  usually  has  bands  of  human  hair  twisted 
around  his  legs  below  the  knees,  and  also  around 
the  wrists.  This  hair  is  torn  from  his  wife's 
head.  Down  the  centre  are  numerous  fires  for 
cooking  purposes,  but  the  house  was  destitute  of 
chimney.  Wood  is  burned,  and  the  place  was  at 
times  so  full  of  smoke  that  I  could  not  distinguish 
one  Indian  from  another.  Fortunately,  the  walls 
of  the  house,  as  was  also  the  roof,  were  in  bad 
repair,  and  some  of  the  smoke  escaped  through 
the  chinks.  Sixty  people  lived  in  the  largest 
hog4,  and  I  judged  the  number  of  the  whole  tribe 
to  be  about  three  hundred. 

The  doorways  of  all  the  houses  faced  towards 
the  east,  as  did  those  of  the  Inca.  In  the  princi- 
pal one,  where  the  high  priest  lived,  a  square 
altar  of  red  clay  was  erected.  I  quickly  noticed 
that  on  this  elevation,  which  was  about  a  yard 
high,  there  burned  a  very  carefully  tended  fire  of 
holy  wood.  Enquiring  the  meaning  of  this,  I 
was  informed  that,  very  many  moons  ago,  Nande- 
yara  had  come  in  person  to  visit  the  tribe,  and 
when  with  them  had  lit  the  fire,  which,  he  said, 
they  must  not  under  any  circumstances  suffer 
to  die  out.     Ever  since  then  the  smoke  of  the 

187 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

incense  had  ascended  to  their  "Owner"  in  his 
far-off  dwelling. 

How  forcibly  was  I  reminded  of  the  scripture 
referring  to  the  Jewish  altar  of  long  ago,  "There 
the  fire  shall  ever  be  burning  upon  the  altar;  it 
shall  never  go  out."  If  I  had  not  discovered 
Eden,  I  had  at  least  found  the  altar  and  fire  of 
Edenic  origin. 

Behind  the  altar,  occupying  the  stall  directly 
opposite  the  doorway,  stood  the  tribal  god.  As 
the  Caingwas  are  sun-worshippers,  I  was  sur- 
prised to  see  this,  but  Rocanandiva,  with  grave 
demeanor,  told  me  that  when  Nandeyara  de- 
parted from  them  he  left  behind  him  his  repre- 
sentative. This  god  was  a  rudely  carved  figure 
of  a  man,  cut  from  wood  with  sharp  shell  or  stone. 
The  Indian's  time  is  not  reckoned  at  so  much  per 
hour,  and  he  may  spend  weeks  laboriously  burn- 
ing out  or  scraping  these  idols.  Naturally  he 
makes  his  god  as  he  conceives  him  to  be.  This 
one  had  both  hands  on  his  stomach,  which  was 
greatly  distended,  A  god  with  marvellous  power 
to  get  food  would  naturally  gorge  himself. 

Being  exceedingly  anxious  to  procure  their 
"Copy  of  God,"  I  tried  to  bargain  with  the  priest. 
I  offered  him  one  thing  and  another,  but  to  all 
my  proposals  he  turned  a  deaf  ear,  and  finally, 
glaring  at  me,  said  that  nothing  would  ever  in- 
duce him  to  part  with  it.  The  people  would  never 
allow  the  image  to  be  taken  away,  as  the  life  of 
the  tribe  was  bound  up  with  it.  Seeing  that  he 
was  not  to  be  moved,  I  desisted,  though  a  covet- 
ous look  in  his  eye  when  I  offered  a  beautiful 
colored  rug  in  exchange  gave  me  hope.    Rocan- 

188 


Paraguay, 

andivd  was,  like  most  idolatrous  priests,  very 
fanatical.  When  he  learned  that  I  professed  and 
taught  a  different  religion,  his  jealousy  was  most 
marked,  and  he  often  told  me  to  go  from  them,  I 
was  not  wanted.  Living  with  the  king,  however, 
saved  me  from  ejection. 

One  day  the  priest,  ever  on  the  beg,  was 
anxious  to  obtain  some  article  from  me,  and  I 
determined  to  give  it  only  on  one  condition. 
Being  anxious  to  tell  the  people  the  story  of 
Jesus,  I  had  repeatedly  asked  permission  of  him, 
but  had  been  as  often  repulsed.  They  did  not 
want  me,  or  any  new  "  words,"  he  would  reply. 
Turning  to  him  now,  I  said,  "  Rocanandivd,  if 
you  will  allow  me  to  tell  'words'  to  the  people 
you  shall  have  the  present."  The  priest  turned  on 
his  heel  and  left  me.  Knowing  his  cupidity,  I 
was  not  surprised  when,  later,  he  came  to  me 
and  said  that  I  could  tell  them  words,  and  held 
out  his  hand  for  the  gift. 

After  sun-worship  next  morning  the  king 
announced  that  I  had  something  new  to  tell 
them.  When  all  were  seated  on  the  ground  in 
wondering  silence,  I  began  in  simple  language 
to  tell  "the  old,  old  story."  My  address  was 
somewhat  similar  to  the  following :  "  Many  moons 
ago,  Nandeyara,  looking  down  from  his  abode, 
saw  that  all  the  men  and  women  and  children  in 
the  world  were  bad ;  that  is,  they  had  done  wrong 
things,  such  as  .  .  .  Now  God  has  a  Son, 
and  to  Him  He  said,  Look  down  and  see.  All 
are  doing  wicked  things!  He  looked  and  saw. 
The  Father  said  that  for  their  sin  they  should 
have  to  die,  but  that  Jesus,  His  Son,  could  come 

189 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

down  and  die  in  their  place.  The  Son  came,  and 
lived  on  earth  many  moons;  but  was  hated,  and 
at  last  caught,  and  large  pieces  of  iron  (like  the 
priest's  knife)  were  put  into  His  hands 
and  feet,  and  He  was  fastened  to  a  tree. 
After  this  a  man  came,  and,  with  a  very  long 
knife,  brought  the  blood  out  of  the  side  of  Jesus, 
and  He  died."  Purposing  to  further  explain  my 
story,  I  was  not  pleased  when  the  priest  stopped 
me,  and,  stepping  forth,  told  the  people  that  my 
account  was  not  true.  He  then  in  eloquent  tones 
related  to  them  what  he  called  the  real  story,  to 
which  I  listened  in  amazed  wonder. 

"  Many  moons  ago,"  he  began,  "  we  were  dying 
of  hunger!  One  day  the  Sun,  our  god,  changed 
into  a  man,  and  he  walked  down  that  road." 
( Here  he  pointed  to  the  east. )  "  The  chief  met 
him.  *  All  your  people  are  dying  of  hunger,'  said 
god.  *  Yes,  they  are,'  the  chief  replied.  '  Will  you 
die  instead  of  all  the  people?'  Nandeyara  said. 
*  Yes,  I  will,'  the  chief  answered.  He  immedi- 
ately dropped  down  dead,  and  god  came  to  the 
village  where  we  all  are  now.  'Your  chief  is 
lying  dead  up  the  road,'  he  said,  'go  and  bury 
him,  and  after  three  days  are  passed  visit  the 
grave,  when  you  will  find  a  plant  growing  out  of 
his  mouth;  that  will  be  corn,  and  it  will  save 
you !' "  Then,  turning  to  me,  the  priest  said : 
"  This  we  did,  and  behold  us  alive !  That  is  the 
story!"  A  strange  legend,  surely,  and  yet  the 
reader  >\^ill  be  struck  with  the  grains  of  truth 
intermingled — life,  resulting  from  the  sacrificial 
death  of  another;  the  substitution  of  the  one  for 
the  many;  the  life-giving  seed  germinating  after 

190 


Paraguay. 

three  days'  burial,  reminding  one  of  John  12 :  24 : 
"  Except  a  corn  of  wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and 
die,  it  abideth  alone ;  but  if  it  die,  it  bringeth  forth 
much  fruit."  Strange  that  so  many  aboriginal 
people  have  legends  so  near  the  truth. 

Some  days  later  the  chief's  son  and  I  were 
alone,  and  I  saw  that  something  troubled  him. 
He  tried  to  tell  me,  but  I  was  somewhat  ignorant 
of  his  language,  so,  after  looking  in  all  directions 
to  see  that  we  were  really  alone,  he  led  the  way 
into  a  dark  comer  of  the  hogd,  where  we  were. 
There,  from  under  a  pile  of  garden  baskets,  cala- 
bashes, etc.,  he  brought  out  a  peculiarly-shaped 
gourd,  full  of  some  red,  powdery  substance.  This, 
with  trembling  haste,  he  put  into  my  hand,  and 
seemed  greatly  relieved  when  I  had  it  securely. 
Going  then  to  the  corner  where  I  kept  my  goods, 
he  took  up  a  box  of  matches  and  made  signs  for 
me  to  exchange,  which  I  did.  When  Timoteo 
returned  I  learned  that  the  young  man  was  cus- 
todian of  the  devil — the  only  and  original  one — 
and  that  he  had  palmed  him  off  on  me  for  a  box  of 
matches!  How  the  superstition  of  the  visible 
presence  of  the  devil  originated  I  have  no  idea, 
but  there  might  be  some  meaning  in  the  man's 
earnest  desire  to  exchange  it  for  matches,  or 
lights,  the  emblem  of  their  fire  or  sun-worship. 
Was  this  simple  deal  fallen  man's  feeble  effort  to 
rid  himself  of  the  Usurper  and  get  back  the 
Father,  for  it  is  very  significant  that  the  Caingwa 
word,  ta-ta  (light),  signifies  also  father.  Do 
they  need  light,  or  are  they  sufficiently  illumined 
for  time  and  eternity?  Will  the  reader  rever- 
ently stand  with  me,  in  imagination,  beside  an 

191 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Eorsehack 

Indian  grave?  A  girl  has  died  through  snake 
poisoning.  A  shallow  grave  has  been  dug  for 
her  remains.  Into  this  hole  her  body  has  been 
dropped,  uncoffined,  in  a  sitting  position.  Beside 
the  body  is  placed  some  food  and  a  few  paltry 
trinkets,  and  the  people  stand  around  with  that 
disconsolate  look  which  is  only  seen  upon  the 
faces  of  those  who  know  not  the  Father.  As  they 
thus  linger,  the  witch-doctor  asks,  "  Is  the  dog 
killed?"  Someone  replies,  "Yes,  the  dog  is 
killed.'*  "Is  the  head  cut  off?"  is  then  asked. 
"  Yes,  the  head  is  off,"  is  the  reply.  "  Put  it  in 
the  grave,  then,"  says  the  medicine  man;  and 
then  the  dog's  head  is  dropped  at  the  girl's  feet. 

Why  do  they  do  this?  you  ask.  Question  their 
wise  man,  and  he  will  say:  "A  dog  is  a  very 
clever  animal."  He  can  always  find  his  way.  A 
girl  gets  lost  when  alone.  For  that  reason  we 
place  a  dog's  head  with  her,  that  it  may  guide 
her  in  the  spirit  life."  I  ask  again,  "  Do  they 
need  missionaries?  " 

My  stay  with  the  sun-worshippers,  though 
interesting,  was  painful.  Excepting  when  we 
cooked  our  own  food,  I  almost  starved.  Their 
habits  are  extremely  filthy,  indeed  more  loath- 
some and  disgusting  than  I  dare  relate. 

My  horses  were  by  now  refreshed  with  their 
rest,  and  appeared  able  for  the  return  journey, 
so  I  determined  to  start  back  to  civilization. 
The  priest  heard  of  my  decision  with  unfeigned 
joy,  but  the  king  and  queen  were  sorrowful. 
These  pressed  me  to  return  again  some  time,  but 
said  I  must  bring  with  me  a  hoed  (gun)  like  my 

192 


Paraguay. 

own  for  the  king,  with  some  more  strings  of 
white  beads  for  the  queen's  wrists. 

While  saddling  our  horses  in  the  grey  dawn, 
the  wily  priest  came  to  me  with  a  bundle,  and, 
quietly  drawing  me  aside,  said  that  Nandeyara 
was  inside,  and  in  exchange  for  the  bright  rug  I 
could  take  him  away.  The  exchange  was  made, 
and  I  tied  their  god,  along  with  bows  and  arrows, 
etc.,  on  the  back  of  a  horse,  and  we  said  farewell. 
I  had  strict  orders  to  cover  up  the  idol  from  the 
eyes  of  the  people  until  we  got  away.  Even  when 
miles  distant,  I  kept  looking  back,  fearing  that 
the  duped  Indians  were  following  in  enraged 
numbers.  Of  course,  the  priest  would  give  out 
that  I  had  stolen  the  image. 

Ah,  Rocanandiv4,  you  are  not  the  first  who  has 
been  willing  to  sell  his  god  for  worldly  gain! 
The  hand  of  Judas  burned  with  "thirty  pieces  of 
silver,"  the  earthly  value  of  the  Divine  One. 
Pilate,  for  personal  profit,  said:  "Let  Him  be 
crucified."  And  millions  to-day  sell  Him  for  "  a 
mess  of  pottage." 

The  same  horse  bore  away  the  devil  and  god, 
so  perhaps  without  the  one  there  would  be  no 
need  of  the  other. 

So  prolific  is  the  vegetation  that  during  our 
few  weeks'  stay  with  the  Indians  the  creeping 
thorns  and  briars  had  almost  covered  up  the 
path  we  had  cut  through  the  forest,  and  it  was 
again  necessary  to  use  our  machetes.  The  larger 
growth,  however,  being  down,  this  was  not  diffi- 
cult, and  we  entered  its  sombre  stillness  once 
more.  What  strange  creatures  people  its  tangled 
recesses  we  knew  not. 

195 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

**  For  beasts  and  birds  have  seen  and  heard 
That  which  man  knoweth  not." 

I  hurried  through  with  little  wish  to  penetrate 
its  secret.  Mere  existence  was  hard  enough  in 
its  steaming  semi-darkness.  Our  clothes  were 
now  almost  torn  to  shreds  ( I  had  sought  to  mend 
mine  with  horse-hair  thread,  with  poor  results), 
and  we  duly  emerged  into  daylight  on  the  other 
side,  ragged,  torn  and  dirty. 

Our  journey  back  to  civilization  was  similar 
to  the  outward  way.  We  selected  a  slightly  dif- 
ferent route,  but  left  the  old  chief  safe  and  well 
with  his  people. 

One  night  our  horses  were  startled  by  a  bound- 
ing jaguar,  and  were  so  terrified  that  they  broke 
away  and  scattered  in  all  directions.  Searching 
for  them  detained  us  a  whole  day,  but  fortunately 
we  were  able  to  round  them  all  up  again.  Two 
were  found  in  a  wood  of  strangely-shaped  bushes, 
whose  large,  tough  leaves  rustled  like  parchment. 

One  afternoon  a  heavy  rain  came  on,  and  we 
stopped  to  construct  a  shelter  of  green  branches, 
into  which  we  crept.  The  downpour  became  so 
heavy  that  it  dripped  through  our  hastily-con- 
structed arbor,  and  we  were  soon  soaking  wet. 
Owing  to  the  dampness  of  the  fuel,  it  was  only 
after  much  patient  work  that  we  were  able  to 
light  a  fire  and  dry  our  clothes.  There  we  re- 
mained for  three  days,  Timoteo  sighing  for 
Pegwaomi,  and  the  wind  sighing  still  louder,  to 
our  discomfort.  Everything  we  had  was  satu- 
rated. Sleeping  on  the  soaking  ground,  the 
poisonous  tarantula  spiders  crept  over  us.  These 
(oathsome  creatures,  second  only  to  the  serpent, 

194 


Paraguay, 

are  frequently  so  large  as  to  spread  their  thick, 
hairy  legs  over  a  six-inch  diameter. 

The  storm  passed,  and  we  started  off  towards 
the  river  Ipan6,  which  was  now  considerably 
sw^ollen.  Three  times  on  the  expedition  we  had 
halted  to  build  rough  bridges  over  chasms  or 
mountain  streams  with  perpendicular  banks,  but 
this  was  broad  and  had  to  be  crossed  through 
the  water.  As  I  rode  the  largest  and  strongest 
horse,  it  was  my  place  to  venture  first  into  the 
rushing  stream.  The  animal  bravely  stemmed 
the  current,  as  did  the  rest,  but  Old  Stabbed 
Arm,  riding  a  weaker  horse,  nearly  lost  his  life. 
The  animal  was  washed  down  by  the  strong  cur- 
rent, and  but  for  the  man's  previous  long  experi- 
ence in  swimming  rivers  he  would  never  have 
reached  the  bank.  The  pony  also  somehow  strug- 
gled through  to  the  side,  landing  half-drowned, 
and  Old  Stabbed  Arm  received  a  few  hearty  pats 
on  the  back.  The  load  on  the  mare  was  further 
soaked,  but  most  of  our  possessions  had  been 
ruined  long  ago.  My  cartridges  I  had  slung 
around  my  neck,  and  I  held  the  photographic 
plates  in  my  teeth,  while  the  left  hand  carried  my 
gun,  so  these  were  preserved.  To  my  care  on  that 
occasion  the  reader  is  indebted  for  some  of  the 
illustrations  in  this  volume.  Nandeyara  got 
another  wash,  but  he  had  been  wet  before,  and 
never  complained ! 

On  the  farther  side  of  the  river  was  a  deserted 
house,  and  we  could  distinctly  trace  the  heavy 
footprints  of  a  tapir  leading  up  the  path  and 
through  the  open  doorway.  We  entered  with 
caution.   Was  the  beast  in  then?    No.    He  had 

195 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

gone  out  by  a  back  way,  probably  made  by  him- 
self, through  the  wattled  wall.  We  could  see  the 
place  was  frequented  very  often  by  wild  pigs, 
which  had  left  hundreds  of  footprints  in  the 
three-inch  depth  of  dust  on  the  floor.  There  we 
lit  a  fire  to  again  dry  our  clothes,  and  prepared 
to  pass  the  night,  expecting  a  visit  from  the 
hogs.  Had  they  appeared  when  we  were  ready 
for  them,  the  visit  would  not  have  been  unwel- 
come. Food  was  hard  to  procure,  and  animals 
did  not  come  very  often  to  be  shot.  Had  they 
found  us  asleep,  however,  the  waking  would  have 
been  terrible  indeed,  for  they  will  eat  human 
flesh  just  as  ravenously  as  roots.  After  spreading 
our  saddle-cloths  on  the  dust  and  filth.  Old 
Stabbed  Arm  and  I  were  chatting  about  the 
Caingwas  and  their  dirty  habits,  when  Timoteo, 
heaving  a  sigh  of  relief,  said :  "  Thank  God,  we 
are  clean  at  last !  "  He  was  satisfied  with  the  pig- 
pen as  he  recalled  the  hogd  of  the  Sun- Wor- 
shippers. 

At  last  the  village  of  Pegwaomi  was  reached, 
and,  oh,  we  were  not  sorry,  for  the  havoc  of  the 
jiggers  in  our  feet  was  getting  terrible!  The 
keen-eyed  inhabitants  caught  sight  of  us  while 
we  were  still  distant,  and  when  we  reined 
up,  Timoteo's  aged  mother  tremblingly  said, 
"  Toape  "  ( "  Come  here  " )  to  him,  and  she  wept 
as  she  embraced  her  boy.  Truly,  there  was  no 
sight  so  sweet  to  "  mother  "  as  that  of  her  ragged, 
travel-stained  son ;  and  Timoteo,  the  strong  man, 
wept.  The  fatted  calf  was  then  killed  a  few 
yards  from  the  doorstep,  by  having  its  throat  cut. 
Offal  littered  up  the  doorway^  and  the  children 

X96 


Paraguay. 

in  their  glee  danced  in  the  red  blood.  The  dogs' 
tails  and  the  women's  tongues  wagged  merrily, 
making  us  feel  that  we  were  joined  on  to  the 
world  again.  I  was  surprised  to  find  that  we 
were  days  out  of  reckoning;  I  had  been  keeping 
Sunday  on  Thursday! 

During  this  stay  at  Pegwaomi  I  nearly  lost 
Old  Stabbed  Arm.  The  day  after  we  returned 
our  hostess  very  seriously  asked  me  if  he  might 
marry  her  daughter.  Thinking  he  had  sent  her 
to  ask,  I  consented.  It  was  a  surprise  to  learn 
afterwards  that  he  knew  nothing  at  all  of  the 
matter. 

Although  Pegwaomi  gained  no  new  inhabi- 
tant, I  secured  what  proved  to  be  one  of  the 
truest  and  most  faithful  friends  of  my  life — a 
little  monkey.  His  name  was  Mr.  Pancho.  With 
him  it  was  love  at  first  sight,  and  from  that  time 
onward,  I  believe,  he  had  only  two  things 
in  his  mind — his  food  and  his  master.  He  would 
cry  when  I  left  him,  and  hug  and  kiss  me  on  my 
return.  Pancho  rode  the  pack-mare  into  the 
village  of  Concepcion,  and  busied  himself  on  the 
way  catching  butterflies  and  trying  to  grasp  the 
multi-colored  humming-birds  hovering  over  the 
equally  beautiful  passion-flowers  growing  in  the 
bushes  on  each  side  of  the  path. 

Surely  a  stranger  sight  was  never  seen  on  the 
streets  of  Concepcion  than  that  of  a  tired,  dusty 
pack-horse  bearing  a  live  monkey,  a  dead  god, 
and  an  equally  dead  devil  on  his  back!  Mrs. 
Sorrows  was  overjoyed  to  see  me  return,  and 
earnestly  told  me  that  my  first  duty  was  to  hurry 
down  to  the  store  and  buy  two  colored  candles 

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Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback, 

to  burn  before  her  saint,  who  had  brought  me 
back,  even  though  I  was  a  heretic,  which  fact  she 
greatly  lamented.  We  had  been  given  up  as  lost 
months  before,  for  word  came  down  that  I  had 
been  killed  by  Indians.  Here  I  was,  however, 
safe  and  fairly  well,  saving  that  the  ends  of  two 
of  my  toes  had  rotted  off  with  jiggers,  and  fever 
burned  in  my  veins!  Mrs.  Dolores  doctored  my 
feet  with  tobacco  ashes  as  I  reclined  in  a  ham- 
mock under  the  lime  trees  surrounding  her  hut. 
I  did  not  buy  the  candles,  but  she  did ;  and  while 
I  silently  thanked  a  Higher  Power,  and  the  ta-tas 
burned  to  her  saint,  she  informed  me  that  my 
countryman,  the  prodigal,  had  been  carried  to 
the  "potters'  field."  Not  all  prodigals  reach 
home  again;  some  are  buried  by  the  swine- 
troughs. 

For  some  time  I  was  unable  to  put  my  feet  to 
the  ground ;  but  Pancho,  ever  active,  tied  in  a  fig 
tree,  helped  himself  to  ripe  fruit,  and  took  life 
merrily.  Pancho  and  I  were  eventually  able  to 
bid  good-bye  to  Mrs.  Sorrows,  and,  thousands  of 
miles  down  life's  pathway,  this  little  friend  and  I 
journeyed  together,  he  ever  loving  and  true.  I 
took  him  across  the  ocean,  away  from  his  tropical 
home,  and — he  died.  I  am  not  sentimental — nay, 
I  have  been  accused  of  hardness — ^but  I  make  this 
reference  to  Pancho  in  loving  memory.  Unlike 
some  friends  of  my  life,  he  was  constant  and 
true.* 

•From  letters  awaiting-  me  at  the  post-offlce,  I  learned,  with 
Intense  sorrow  and  reigret,  that  my  strang-e  patron  had  g:one 
"the  way  of  all  flesh."  The  land  I  had  been  to  explore,  along: 
with  a  bequesit  of  $250,000,  passed  into  the  hands  of  the 
Baptist  Missionary  Soci«ty,  to  the  Secretary  of  whleh  Society 
all  my  reports  were  given. 

198 


"PANCHO' 


111993 


CHAPTEE  XI. 

CEACO  SAVAGES. 

The  Gran  Chaco,  an  immense  region  in  the 
interior  of  tlie  continent,  said  to  be  2,500,000 
square  miles  in  extent,  is,  without  doubt,  the 
darkest  part  of  "  The  Darkest  Land."  From 
time  immemorial  this  has  been  given  up  to  the 
Indians;  or,  rather,  they  have  proved  so  warlike 
that  the  white  man  has  not  dared  to  enter  the 
vast  plain.  The  Chaco  contains  a  population  of 
perhaps  3,000,000  of  aborigines.  These  are 
divided  into  many  tribes,  and  speak  numerous 
languages.  From  the  military  outposts  of 
Argentina  at  the  south,  to  the  Fort  of  Olimpo, 
450  miles  north,  the  country  is  left  entirely  to 
the  savage.  The  former  are  built  to  keep  back 
the  Tobas  from  venturing  south,  and  the  latter 
is  a  Paraguayan  fort  on  the  Brazilian  frontier. 
Here  about  one  hundred  soldiers  are  quartered 
and  some  fifty  women  banished,  for  the  Para- 
guayan Government  sends  its  female  convicts 
there.*  Between  these  forts  and  Bolivia,  on  the 
west,  I  have  been  privileged  to  visit  eight  differ- 
ent tribes  of  Indians,  all  of  them  alike  degraded 
and  sunken  in  the  extreme;  savage  and  wild  as 

•The  women  are  not  provided  with  even  the  barest  necessi- 
ties of  life.  Here  they  are  landed  and,  perforce,  fasten  them- 
selves like  leeches  on  the  licentious  soldiery.  I  speak  from 
personal  knowledge,  for  I  have  visited  the  "  hell "  of  Paraguay. 

201 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horsehack. 

man,  though  originally  made  in  the  image  of  God, 
can  be. 

The  Chaco  is  a  great  unknown  land.  The 
north,  described  by  Mr.  Minchin,  Bolivian  Gov- 
ernment Explorer,  as  "  a  barren  zone — an  almost 
uninterrupted  extent  of  low,  thorny  scrub,  with 
great  scarcity  of  water,"  and  the  centre  and 
south,  as  I  have  seen  in  exploring  journeys,  great 
plains  covered  with  millions  of  palm  trees, 
through  which  the  astonished  traveller  can  ride 
for  weeks  without  seeing  any  limit.  In  the  dry- 
season  the  land  is  baked  by  the  intense  heat  of 
the  tropical  sun,  and  cracked  into  deep  fissures. 
In  the  rainy  season  it  is  an  endless  marsh — a 
veritable  dead  man's  land.  During  a  200-mile 
ride,  180  lay  through  water  with  the  sun  almost 
vertical.  All  this  country  in  past  ages  must  have 
been  the  bed  of  a  great  salt  sea. 

As  I  have  said,  the  Chaco  is  peculiarly  Indian 
territory,  into  which  the  white  man  steps  at  his 
peril.  I  accepted  a  commission,  however,  to 
examine  and  report  on  certain  parts  of  it,  so  I 
left  the  civilized  haunts  of  men  and  set  foot  on 
the  forbidden  ground. 

My  first  introduction  to  the  savages  in  Chaco 
territory  was  at  their  village  of  Teepmuckthla- 
whykethy  (The  Place  Where  the  Cows  Arrived). 
They  were  busy  devouring  a  dead  cow  and  a 
newly-born  calf,  and  I  saw  their  naked  bodies 
through  such  dense  clouds  of  mosquitos  that  in 
one  clap  of  the  hands  I  could  kill  twenty  or 
thirty  This  Indian  toldo  consists  of  three 
large  wigwams,  in  which  live  about  eighty  of 
the  most  degraded  aborigines    to   be   found  on 

202 


Paraguay. 

»irth.  When  they  learned  I  was  not  one  of  the 
Christians  from  across  the  river,  and  that  I  came 
well  introduced,  they  asked:  Did  I  come  across 
the  hig  water  in  a  dug-out?  Was  it  a  day's  jour- 
ney? Would  I  give  them  some  of  "  the  stuff  that 
resembles  the  eggs  of  the  ant?  "  (their  name  for 
rice). 

I  was  permitted  to  occupy  a  palm  hut  without 
a  roof,  but  I  skpt  under  a  tiger's  skin,  and  that 
kept  off  dew  and  rain.  They  reserved  the  right 
to  come  and  go  in  it  as  they  pleased.  The 
women,  with  naked  babies  asiride  their  hips,  the 
usual  way  of  carrying  them,  were  particularly 
annoying.  A  little  girl,  however,  perhaps  ten 
years  old,  named  Supupnik  (Sawdust),  made 
friends  with  me,  and  that  friendship  lasted 
during  all  my  stay  with  them.  Her  face  was 
always  grotesquely  painted,  but  she  was  a  sweet 
child. 

These  Indians  are  of  normal  stature,  and  are 
always  erect  and  stately,  perhaps  because  all 
burdens  are  borne  by  straps  on  the  forehead.  The 
expression  of  the  savage  is  peculiar,  for  he  pulls 
out  all  the  hair  on  his  face,  even  the  eyelashes 
and  eyebrows,  and  seems  to  think  the  omission  of 
that  act  would  be  a  terrible  breach  of  cleanliness. 
These  same  individuals  will,  however,  frequently 
be  seen  with  their  whole  body  so  coated  with  dirt 
that  it  could  easily  be  scraped  off  with  a  knife  in 
cakes,  as  the  housewife  would  scrape  a  burnt 
loaf!  The  first  use  to  which  the  women  put  the 
little  round  tin  looking-glasses,  which  I  used  for 
barter,  was  to  admire  their  pretty  (?)  faces;  but 
tbe  men,  with  a  sober  look,  would  search  for  the 

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Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

detested  hair  on  lip  or  chin.  That  I  was  so  lost 
to  decency  as  to  suffer  a  moustache  to  cover  my 
lip  was  to  them  a  constant  puzzle  and  wonder,  for 
in  every  other  respect  the  universal  opinion  was 
that  I  was  a  civilized  kind  of  "  thing."  I  write 
thing  advisedly,  for  the  white  man  is  to  them  an 
inferior  creation — not  a  person. 

In  place  of  a  beard  or  moustache,  the  inhabi- 
tant of  the  Chaco  prefers  to  paint  his  face,  and 
sometimes  he  makes  quite  an  artistic  design. 

These  wild  inhabitants  of  Central  South 
America  generally  wear  a  skin  around  the  loinw, 
or  a  string  of  ostrich  feathers.  Some  tribes,  as, 
for  example,  the  Chamacocos,  dispense  with 
either.  The  height  of  fashion  is  to  wear  strings 
of  tigers'  teeth,  deer's  hoofs,  birds'  bills,  etc., 
around  the  neck.  Strings  of  feathers  or  wool 
are  twisted  around  ankles  and  wrists,  while  the 
thickly  matted  hair  is  adorned  with  plumes, 
standing  upright. 

The  men  insert  round  pieces  of  wood  in  the 
lobe  of  the  ear.  Boys  of  tender  age  have  a  sharp 
thorn  pushed  through  the  ear,  where  more  civil- 
ized nations  wear  earrings.  This  hole  is  gradually 
enlarged  until  manhood,  when  a  round  piece,  two 
inches  in  diameter  and  one  and  a  half  inches 
thick,  can  be  worn,  not  depending  from  the  ear, 
but  in  the  gristle  of  it.  The  cartilage  is  thus  so 
distended  that  only  a  narrow  rim  remains  around 
the  ornament,  and  this  may  often  be  seen  broken 
out.  Sometimes  three  or  four  rattles  from  the 
tail  of  the  rattlesnake  also  hang  from  the  ear  on 
to  the  shoulder. 

These  tribes  of  the  Chaco  were  all  vassals  of 

204 


Paraguay. 

the  Inca  at  the  advent  of  the  Spaniards.  They 
had  been  by  them  reclaimed  from  savagery,  and 
taught  many  useful  arts,  one  or  two  of  which, 
such  as  the  making  of  blankets  and  string,  they 
still  retain.  The  Inca  used  the  ear  ornaments  of 
solid  gold,  but  made  in  the  form  of  a  wheel.  The 
nearest  approach  to  this  old  custom  is  when  the 
wooden  ear-plug  is  painted  thus,  as  are  some  in 
the  author's  possession. 

I  was  fortunate  in  gaining  the  favor  of  the 
tribe  living  near  the  river,  and  because  of  cer- 
tain favors  conferred  upon  them,  was  adopted 
into  the  family.  My  face  was  painted,  my  head 
adorned  with  ostrich  plumes,  and  I  was  given 
the  name  of  Wanampangapthling  ithma  (Big 
Cactus  Red  Mouth).  Because  of  this  formal 
initiation,  I  was  privileged  to  travel  where  I 
chose,  but  to  the  native  Paraguayan  or  Argen- 
tine the  Chaco  is  a  forbidden  land.  The  Indian 
describes  himself  as  a  man;  monkeys  are  little 
men;  I  was  a  thing;  but  the  Paraguayans  are 
Christians,  and  that  is  the  lowest  degree  of  all. 
The  priests  they  see  on  the  other  side  of  the  river 
are  Yankilwana  (neither  man  nor  woman) ;  and 
a  Yankilwana,  in  his  distinctive  garb,  could  never 
tread  this  Indian  soil.  So  abhorrent  to  them  is 
the  name  of  Christian,  that  the  missionaries  have 
been  compelled  to  use  another  word  to  describe 
their  converts,  and  they  are  called  "  Followers 
of  Jesus."  All  the  members  of  some  large  expe- 
ditions have  been  massacred  just  because  they 
were  Christiaiis.  The  Indian  has  yet  to  learn  that 
tvhite  man  and  Christian  are  not  synonymous 
words  by  any  means. 

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Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

A  few  miserable-looking,  diminutive  sheep 
are  kept  by  some  tribes,  and  the  blankets  referred 
to  are  made  from  the  wool,  which  is  torn  off  the 
sheep  with  a  sharp  shell,  or,  if  near  the  coast, 
with  a  knife.  The  blankets  are  woven  by  hand 
across  two  straight  branches  of  tree,  and  they 
are  sometimes  colored  in  various  shades.  A 
bulbous  root  they  know  of  dyes  brown,  the 
cochineal  insect  red,  and  the  bark  of  a  tree  yel- 
low. String  is  made  from  the  fibre  of  the  caror 
guatai  plant,  and  snail  shells  are  used  to  extract 
the  fibre.  This  work  is,  of  course,  done  by  the 
women,  as  is  also  the  making  of  the  clay  pots 
they  use  for  cooking.  The  men  only  hunt. 

All  sleep  on  the  ground,  men,  women,  children 
and  dogs,  promiscuously.  The  wigwams  are 
nothing  more  than  a  few  branches  stuck  in  the 
ground  and  tied  at  the  top.  The  sides  are  left 
open.  Very  often  even  this  most  primitive  of 
dwellings  is  dispensed  with,  and  the  degraded 
beings  crawl  under  the  shelter  of  the  bushes. 
Furniture  of  any  kind  they  are,  of  course,  wit- 
out,  and  their  destitution  is  only  equalled  by  the 
African  pigmy  or  the  Australian  black. 

The  Chaco  is  essentially  a  barren  land,  and  the 
Indians'  time  seems  almost  fully  taken  up  in  pro- 
curing food.  The  men,  with  bows  and  arrows, 
hunt  the  deer,  ostrich,  fox,  or  wolf,  while  the 
women  forage  for  roots  and  wild  fruit. 

One  tribe  in  the  north  of  the  Chaco  are  canni- 
bals, and  they  occasionally  make  war  on  their 
neighbors  just  to  obtain  food. 

A  good  vegetable  diet  is  the  cabbage,  which 
grows  in  the  heart  of  certain  palms,  and  weighs 

206 


Paraguay. 

three  or  four  pounds.  To  secure  this  the  tree  has 
perforce  to  be  cut  down.  To  the  Indian  without 
an  axe  this  is  no  light  task.  The  palm,  as  is  well 
known,  differs  from  other  trees  by  its  having  the 
seat  of  life  in  the  head,  and  not  in  the  roots;  so 
when  the  cabbage  is  taken  out  the  tree  dies. 

Anything,  everything,  is  eaten  for  food,  and  a 
roasted  serpent  or  boiled  fox  is  equally  relished. 
During  my  stay  among  them  I  ceased  to  ask  of 
what  the  mess  was  composed;  each  dish  was 
worse  than  the  former.  Among  the  first  dishes  I 
had  were  mandioca  root,  a  black  carrion  bird, 
goat's  meat,  and  fox's  head.  The  puma,  otter, 
ant-bear,  deer,  armadillo,  and  ostrich  are  alike 
eaten,  as  is  also  the  jaguar,  a  ferocious  beast  of 
immense  size.  I  brought  away  from  those  regions 
some  beautiful  skins  of  this  animal,  the  largest 
of  which  measures  nearly  nine  feet  from  nose  to 
tail. 

In  the  sluggish,  almost  salt,  streams,  fish  are 
numerous,  and  these  are  shot  by  the  Indian  with 
arrows,  to  which  is  attached  a  string  of  gut. 
Lakes  and  rivers  are  also  filled  with  hideous- 
looking  alligators  of  all  sizes.  These  grow  to  the 
length  of  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  in  these  warm 
waters,  and  the  tail  is  considered  quite  a  delicacy. 
Besides  these  varied  dishes,  there  is  the  electric 
eel;  and,  sunk  in  a  yard  depth  of  mud,  is  the 
lollock,  of  such  interest  to  naturalists  The 
lollock  is  a  fish  peculiar  to  the  Chaco.  Though 
growing  to  the  length  of  three  and  four  feet,  it 
has  only  rudimentary  eyes,  and  is,  in  conse- 
quence, quite  blind;  it  is  also  unable  to  swim. 
The  savage  prods  in  the  mud  with  a  long  notched 

207 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

lance,  sometimes  for  hours,  until  he  sticks  the 
appetizing  fish. 

The  steamy  waters  are  so  covered  with  aquatic 
plants  that  in  some  places  I  have  been  able  to 
walk  across  a  living  bridge.  Once,  when  out 
hunting,  I  came  upon  a  beautiful  forest  glade, 
covered  with  a  carpet  of  green.  Thinking  it  a 
likely  place  for  deer,  I  entered,  when  lo,  I  sank 
in  a  foetid  lake  of  slime.  Throwing  my  gun  on  to 
the  bank,  I  had  quite  a  difficulty  to  regain  dry 
land. 

In  my  journeyings  here  and  there  I  employed 
one  or  another  of  the  braves  to  accompany  me. 
All  they  could  eat  and  some  little  present  was 
the  pay.  No  sooner  was  the  gift  in  their  hand, 
however,  after  supper,  than  they  would  put  it 
back  in  mine  and  say,  "Give  me  some  more  food?" 
I  was  at  first  accompanied  by  Yantiwau  (The 
Wolf  Rider).  Armed  with  a  bow  and  arrows,  he 
was  a  good  hunter  for  me,  and  a  faithful  servant, 
but  his  custom  of  spitting  on  my  knife  and  spoon 
to  clean  them  I  did  not  like.  When  my  supplies 
were  getting  low,  and  I  went  to  the  river  for  a 
wash,  he  would  say :  "  There's  no  kiltanithliacack 
(soap) — only  clupup  (sand)."  Yantiwau  was 
interested  in  pictures;  he  would  gaze  with  won- 
'iering  eyes  at  photos,  or  views  of  other  lands, 
out  he  looked  at  them  the  wrong  side  up,  as  they 
all  invariably  do.  While  possessed  of  a  profound 
respect  for  me  in  some  ways,  he  thought  me  very 
lacking  in  common  knowledge.  While  I  was  un- 
able to  procure  game,  through  not  seeing  any,  he 
could  call  the  bird  to  him  in  a  "ducky,  ducky, 
come  and  be  killed  "  kind  of  way ;  and  my  tongue 

208 


Paraguay. 

was  parched  when  he  would  scent  water.  This 
was  sometimes  very  easy  to  smell,  however,  for  it 
was  almost  impossible  to  drink  out  of  a  water- 
hole  without  holding  the  nose  and  straining  the 
liquid  through  my  closed  teeth.  Chaco  water  at 
best  is  very  brackish,  and  on  drying  ofif  the 
ground  a  white  coat  of  salt  is  left. 

My  Indian's  first  and  last  thought  was  of  his 
stomach.  While  capable  of  passing  two  or  three 
days  without  eating,  and  feeling  no  pangs  of 
hunger,  yet,  when  food  was  to  hand,  he  gorged 
himself,  and  could  put  away  an  incredible 
amount.  Truly,  his  make-up  was  a  constant 
wonder  to  me.  Biding  through  the  "hungry 
belt "  I  would  be  famishing,  but  to  my  question : 
"  Are  you  hungry? "  he  would  answer,  "  No." 
After  a  toilsome  journey,  and  no  supper  at  the 
end :  "  Would  you  like  to  eat?  "  "  No."  But  let 
an  ostrich  or  a  deer  come  in  sight,  and  he  could 
not  live  another  minute  without  food!  Another 
proof  to  Yantiwau  of  my  incapacity  was  the  fact 
that  when  my  matches  were  all  used  I  could  not 
light  the  fire.  He,  by  rubbing  a  blunt-pointed 
hard  stick  in  a  groove  of  soft  wood,  could  cause 
such  a  friction  that  the  dust  would  speedily 
ignite,  and  set  fire  to  the  dry  twigs  which  he  was 
so  clever  in  collecting.  Although  such  a  simple 
process  to  the  Indian,  I  never  met  a  white  man 
who  could  use  the  firesticks  with  effect. 

-Sitting  by  the  camp-fire  in  the  stillness  of  even- 
ing, my  guide  would  draw  attention  to  a  shooting 
star.  "Look!  That  is  a  bad  witch  doctor,"  he 
would  say.    "Did  you  notice  he  went  to   the 

209 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback 

west?  Well,  the  Toothlis  live  there.  He  has  gone 
for  vengeance ! " 

The  wide  palm  plains  are  almost  uninhabited ; 
I  have  journeyed  eighty  miles  without  sighting 
human  being  or  wig^^am.  In  the  rainy  season 
the  trees  stand  out  of  a  sea-like  expanse  of 
steaming  water,  and  one  may  wade  through  this 
for  twenty  miles  without  finding  a  dry  place  for 
bivouac.  Ant  hills,  ten  and  fifteen  feet  high, 
with  dome-shaped  roofs,  dot  the  wild  waste  like 
pigmy  houses,  and  sometimes  they  are  the  only 
dry  land  found  to  rest  on.  The  horses  flounder 
through  the  mire,  or  sink  up  to  the  belly  in  slime, 
while  clouds  of  flies  make  the  life  of  man  and 
beast  a  living  death.  Keys  rust  in  the  pocket, 
and  boots  mildew  in  a  day.  At  other  seasons,  as 
I  know  by  painful  experience,  the  hard-baked 
ground  is  cracked  up  into  fissures,  and  not  a  drop 
of  water  is  to  be  found  in  a  three  days'  journey. 
The  miserable  savages  either  sit  in  utter  dejec- 
tion on  logs  of  wood  or  tree  roots,  viewing  the 
watery  expanse,  or  roam  the  country  in  search 
of  yingmin  (water). 

Whereas  the  Caingwas  may  be  described  as 
inoffensive  Indians,  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Chaco  are  savages,  hostile  to  the  white  man,  who 
only  here  and  there,  with  their  permission,  has 
settled  on  the  river  bank.  Generally  a  people  of 
fine  physique  and  iron  constitution,  free  from 
disease  of  any  kind,  they  are  swept  into  eternity 
in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time  if  civilized 
diseases  are  introduced.  Even  the  milder  ones, 
such  as  measles,  decimate  a  whole  tribe;  and  I 
have  known  communities  swept  away  as  autumn 

210 


Paraguay. 

leaves  in  a  strong  breeze  with  the  grippe.  I  was 
informed  that  the  hospital  authorities  at  Asun- 
cion gave  them  the  cast-off  fever  clothing  of  their 
patients  during  an  epidemic  to  sweep  them  off 
the  face  of  the  earth! 

The  Indians  have  been  ill-treated  from  the 
beginning.  Darwin  relates  that,  in  their  eager- 
ness to  exterminate  the  red  men,  the  Argentine 
troops  have  pursued  them  for  three  days  without 
food.  On  the  frontier  they  are  killed  in  hundreds ; 
by  submitting  to  the  white  man  they  die  in  thou- 
sands. Latin  civilization  is  more  terrible  to  them 
than  war.  Sad  to  state,  their  only  hope  is  to 
fight,  and  this  the  savage  affirms  he  will  do  for 
ever  and  ever. 

Francia,  the  Dictator  of  Paraguay,  ordered 
every  Indian  found — man,  woman  or  child — to 
be  put  to  death !  Lopez,  a  later  ruler,  took  sport 
in  hunting  Indians  like  deer.  We  are  told  that 
on  one  occasion  he  was  so  successful  as  to  kill 
forty-eight!  The  children  he  captured  and  sold 
into  slavery  at  fifteen  and  twenty  dollars  each. 
The  white  settler  considers  himself  very  brave  if 
he  kills  the  savage  with  a  rifle  sighted  at  five 
hundred  yards,  while  well  out  of  range  of  the 
Indians'  arrows,  and  I  have  known  them  shot 
just  "  for  fun "  !  The  Indians  retaliate  by 
cutting  off  the  heels  of  their  white  captives,  or 
leaving  them,  in  statu  naturae,  bound  with  thongs 
on  an  ant-hill;  and  a  more  terrible  death  could 
not  be  devised  by  even  the  inquisitor,  Torque- 
mada,  of  everlasting  execration.  The  Indian  is 
hard  and  cruel,  indifferent  to  pain  in  himself  or 
others.    A  serpent  may  sting  a  comrade,  and  he 

211 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

takes  no  notice;  but  let  one  find  food  and  there 
is  a  general  scamper  to  the  spot.  The  Chaco 
savage  is  barbarous  in  the  extreme.  The  slain 
enemies  are  often  eaten,  and  the  bones  burnt  and 
scattered  over  their  food.  The  children  of 
enemies  are  traded  off  to  other  tribes  for  more 
food. 

The  Chaco  Indian  is  a  born  warrior.  Sad  to 
say,  his  only  hope  is  to  fight  against  the  Latin 
paleface. 

Most  of  us  have  at  times  been  able  to  detect 
a  peculiar  aroma  in  the  negro.  The  keen-scented 
savage  detects  that  something  in  us,  and  we 
"  smell  "  to  them.  Even  I,  Big  Cactus  Red  Mouth, 
was  not  declared  free  from  a  subtle  odor, 
although  I  washed  so  often  that  they  wondered 
my  skin  did  not  come  off.  They  never  wash,  and 
in  damp  weather  the  dirt  peels  from  them  in 
cakes.    Of  course  they  don't  smell ! 

When  a  man  or  woman  is,  through  age,  no 
longer  capable  of  looking  after  the  needs  of  the 
body,  a  shallow  grave  is  dug,  the  aged  one 
doubled  up  until  the  knees  are  pressed  into  the 
hollow  cheeks,  and  the  back  is  broken.  This  ter- 
rible work  done,  the  undesired  one  is  dragged  by 
one  leg  to  the  open  tomb.  Sometimes  the  face 
and  whole  body  is  so  mangled,  by  being  pulled 
through  thorns  and  over  uneven  ground,  that  it 
is  not  recognizable,  and  the  nose  has  at  time? 
been  actually  torn  off.  While  sometimes  still 
alive,  the  body  is  covered  up  with  mother  earth. 
Frequently  the  grave  is  so  shallow  that  the 
matted  hair  may  be  seen  coming  out  at  the  top. 
The  burial  is  generally  made  near  a  wood,  and, 

212 


Paraguay. 

if  possible,  under  the  holy  wood  tree,  which,  in 
their  judgment,  has  great  influence  with  evil 
spirits.  Wild  beasts,  attracted  by  the  odor  of  the 
corpse,  soon  dig  up  the  remains,  and  before  next 
day  it  is  frequently  devoured. 

An  ordinary  burial  service  may  be  thus  de- 
scribed :  A  deep  cut  is  first  made  in  the  stomach 
of  the  departed  one.  Into  this  incision  a  stone, 
some  bone  ash,  and  a  bird's  claw  are  introduced. 
The  body  is  then  placed  over  the  grave  on  two 
sticks,  a  muttering  incantation  is  said  by  the 
witch  doctor,  and  the  sticks  are  roughly  knocked 
from  under  the  body,  so  as  to  permit  it  to  fall  in 
a  sitting  posture.  A  bow  and  arrows,  and  some 
food  and  cooking  utensils,  are  dropped  into  the 
grave.  All  shooting  stars,  according  to  the 
Indian  belief,  are  flying  stones ;  hence  the  custom 
of  placing  a  stone  in  the  stomach  of  the  dead.  It 
is  supposed  to  be  able  to  mount  heavenward,  and, 
assuming  its  true  character,  become  the  avenging 
adversary,  and  destroy  the  one  who  caused  the 
death — always  a  bad  witch  doctor.  The  bird's 
claw  scratches  out  the  enemy's  heart,  and  the 
ashes  annihilate  the  spirit.  One  of  the  mission- 
aries in  the  Lengua  tribe  stated  that  he  assisted 
at  the  burial  of  a  woman  where  the  corpse  fell 
head  foremost  into  the  grave,  the  feet  remaining 
up.  Four  times  the  attempt  to  drop  her  in  right 
was  made,  with  similar  results,  and  finally  the 
husband  deliberately  broke  his  dead  wife's  neck, 
and  bent  the  head  on  to  the  back ;  then  he  broke 
her  limbs  across  his  knee,  and  so  the  ghastly 
burial  was  at  last  completed !    Truly,  "  the  dark 

places  of  the  earth  are  full  of  the  habitations  of 

ty6 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

cruelty."  Let  the  one  whose  idea  is  to  "  leave  the 
pagan  in  his  innocency  "  visit  these  savages,  and, 
if  he  lives  to  tell  it,  his  ideas  will  have  undergone 
a  great  change.  They  are  lost!  and  millions  have 
not  yet  heard  of  the  "  Son  of  Man,"  who  "  came 
to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost." 

At  the  death  of  any  member,  the  toldo  in  which 
he  lived  is  burnt,  all  his  possessions  are  de- 
stroyed, and  the  people  go  into  mourning. 
The  hair  of  both  sexes  is  cut  short  or  pulled  out, 
and  each  one  has  the  face  blackened  with  a  vege- 
table dye,  which,  from  experience,  I  know  hardly 
ever  wears  off  again.  As  I  have  said,  everything 
the  man  owned  in  life  is  burnt  and  the  village  is 
deserted;  all  move  right  away  to  get  out  of  the 
presence  of  the  death-giving  spirit.  To  me  the 
toldo  would  not  only  seem  abandoned,  but  the 
people  gone  without  leaving  a  trace  of  their  path ; 
but  not  so  to  Wolf  Rider,  my  guide.  By  the 
position  of  the  half-burnt  wood  of  the  fire,  he 
could  tell  the  direction  they  had  taken,  and  the 
number  gone — although  each  steps  in  the  other's 
footprints — whether  they  were  stopping  to  hunt 
on  the  way,  and  much  more  he  would  never  tell 
me.  Some  of  the  missionaries  have  spent  ten 
years  in  the  Chaco,  but  cannot  get  the  savage  to 
teach  them  this  lesson  of  signs. 

In  some  tribes  the  aged  ones  are  just  '^  left  to 
die,"  sitting  under  a  palm-leaf  mat.  All  the 
members  of  the  tribe  move  away  and  leave  them 
thus.  Many  are  the  terrible  things  my  eyes  have 
witnessed,  but  surely  the  most  pathetic  was  the 
sight  of  an  old  woman  sitting  under  the  mat 
I  was  one  day  riding  alone,  but  had  with  me 

214 


Paraguay. 

two  horses,  when  I  caught  sight  of  the  palm-leaf 
erection  and  the  solitary  figure  sitting  under  it. 
Getting  down  from  my  horse,  I  approached  the 
woman  and  offered  to  take  her  to  a  place  of 
safety,  promising  to  feed  her  and  permit  her  to 
live  as  long  as  she  chose.  Would  she  come  with 
me?  I  begged  and  entreated,  but  the  poor 
woman  would  not  so  much  as  lift  her  eyes  to 
mine.  The  law  of  her  tribe  had  said  she  must 
die,  and  the  laws  are  to  them  unalterable.  Most 
reluctantly,  I  left  her  to  be  eaten  later  on  by  the 
wild  beasts. 

Terrible  as  this  custom  is,  other  tribes  kill  and 
eat  their  aged  parents  "  as  a  mark  of  respect." 
Another  tribe  will  not  permit  one  member  to  go 
into  the  spirit  world  alone,  so  they  hang  another 
one,  in  order  that  there  may  be  two  to  enter 
together. 

Whereas  the  Caingwas  are  a  religious  people, 
even  attributing  their  custom  of  piercing  the  lip 
to  divine  commandment,  the  Chaco  aborigines 
have  no  god  and  no  religion.  Missionaries  in  the 
solitary  station  I  have  referred  to,  after  ten 
years'  probing,  have  been  unable  to  find  any 
approach  to  worship  in  their  darkened  minds. 
"The  miserable  wretches  who  inhabit  that  vast 
wilderness  are  so  low  in  the  scale  of  reasoning 
beings  that  one  might  doubt  whether  or  not  they 
have  human  souls."*  These  "lost  sheep"  have 
no  word  to  express  God,  and  have  no  idols.  "  The 
poverty  of  the  Indian  dialects  of  the  Chaco  is 
scarcely  surpassed  by  that  of  the  dumb  brutes." 

•Waebburn'B  "  History  of  Paraguay." 

215 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

These  wretched  tribes  have  perfect  community 
of  goods ;  what  is  secured  by  one  belongs  equally 
to  all.  A  piece  of  cloth  is  either  torn  up  and  dis- 
tributed, or  worn  in  turns  by  each  one.  The  shirt 
which  I  gave  my  guide,  Yantiwau,  for  much  ardu- 
ous toil,  was  worn  by  one  and  another  alternately. 
Much  as  the  savage  at  first  desires  to  possess 
some  garment,  it  does  not  take  long  for  him  to 
tire  of  it.  All  agree  with  Mark  Twain,  that  "  the 
human  skin  is  the  most  comfortable  of  all  cos- 
tumes," and,  clothed  in  the  sunlight,  the  human 
form  divine  is  not  unlovely. 

Sometimes  the  Indians  of  the  interior  take 
skins,  etc.,  to  the  Paraguayan  towns  across  the 
river.  Not  knowing  the  use  of  money,  their  little 
trading  is  done  by  barter.  Their  knowledge  of 
value  is  so  crude  that  on  one  occasion  they  re- 
fused a  two-dollar  axe  for  an  article,  but  gladly 
accepted  a  ten-cent  knife.  The  Chaco  Indian, 
however,  is  seldom  seen  in  civilization.  His  home 
is  in  the  interior  of  an  unknown  country,  which 
he  wanders  over  in  wild  freedom.  While  the 
Caingwas  are  homekeeping,  these  savages  are 
nomadic,  and  could  not  settle  down.  The  land 
is  either  burnt  up  or  inundated,  so  they  do  not 
plant,  but  live  only  by  the  chase.  So  bold  and 
daring  are  they  that  a  man,  armed  only  with  a 
lance,  will  attack  a  savage  jaguar;  or,  diving 
under  an  alligator,  he  will  stab  it  with  a  sharp- 
ened bone.  The  same  man  will  run  in  abject 
terror  if  he  thinks  he  hears  spirits. 

Though  not  religious,  the  savages  are  exceed- 
ingly superstitious,  afraid  of  ghosts  and  evil 
spirits,  and  the  fear  of  these  spectral  visitants 
pursues  them  through  ^'fs.    During  a  storm  they 

216 


Paraguay, 

vigoroilsly  shake  their  blankets  and  mutter 
incantations  to  keep  away  supernatural  visitors. 
All  diseases  are  caused  by  evil  spirits,  or  the 
moon;  and  a  comet  brings  the  measles.  The 
help  of  the  witch  doctor  has  to  be  sought  on  all 
occasions,  for  his  special  work  is  to  drive  away 
the  evil  spirit  that  has  taken  possession  of  a  sick 
one.  This  he  does  by  rattling  a  hollow  calabash 
containing  stones.  That  important  person  will 
perform  his  mystic  homis  pocus  over  the  sick  or 
dying,  and  charm  away  the  spirits  from  a  neigh- 
borhood. I  have  known  an  Indian,  when  in  great 
pain  through  having  eaten  too  much,  send  for 
the  old  fakir,  who,  after  examination  of  the 
patient  and  great  show  of  learning,  declared  that 
the  suffering  one  had  two  tigers  in  his  stomach. 
A  very  common  remedy  is  the  somewhat  scientific 
operation  of  bleeding  a  patient,  but  the  manner 
is  certainly  uncommon — the  witch  doctor  sucks 
out  the  blood.  One  I  was  acquainted  with,  among 
the  Lengua  tribe,  professed  to  suck  three  cats  out 
of  a  man's  stomach.  His  professional  name  was 
thereafter  "Father  of  Kittens."  The  doctor's 
position  is  not  one  to  be  envied,  however,  for  if 
three  consecutive  patients  die,  he  must  follow 
them  down  the  dark  trail! 

These  medicine-men  are  experts  in  poisons,  and 
their  enemies  have  a  way  of  dying  suddenly.  It 
cannot  be  denied  that  the  Indians  have  a  very 
real  knowledge  of  the  healing  virtues  of  many 
plants.  The  writer  has  marvelled  at  the  cures 
he  has  seen,  and  was  not  slow  to  add  some  of 
their  methods  to  his  medical  knowledge.  Not  a 
few  who  have  been  healed,  since  the  writer's 

217 


Tlirough  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

return  to  civilization,  owe  their  new  life  to  the 
knowledge  there  learned. 

Infanticide  is  practised  in  every  tribe,  and  in 
my  extensive  wanderings  among  eight  toldos,  I 
never  met  a  family  with  more  than  two  children. 
The  rest  are  killed!  A  child  is  born,  and  the 
mother  immediately  knocks  it  on  the  head  with 
a  club!  After  covering  the  baby  with  a  layer  of 
earth,  the  woman  goes  about  as  if  nothing  had 
occurred.  One  chief  of  the  Lengua  tribe,  that  I 
met,  had  himself  killed  nineteen  children.  An 
ironwood  club  is  kept  in  each  toldo  for  this  grue- 
some work.  Frequently  a  live  child  is  buried  with 
a  dead  parent;  but  I  had  better  leave  much  of 
their  doings  in  the  inkpot. 

When  a  girl  enters  the  matrimonial  market,  at 
about  the  age  of  twelve  or  thirteen,  her  face  is 
specially  colored  with  a  yellow  paint,  made  from 
the  flower  of  the  date  palm,  and  the  aspirant  to 
her  hand  brings  a  bundle  of  firewood,  neatly  tied 
up,  which  he  places  beside  her  earthen  bed  at 
early  morning.  As  the  rising  sun  gilds  the  east- 
ern sky,  the  girl  awakes  out  of  her  sleep,  rubs 
her  eyes, — and  sees  the  sticks.  Well  does  she 
know  the  meaning  of  it,  and  a  glad  light  flashes  in 
her  dark  eyes  as  she  cries  out,  "  Who  brought  the 
sticks?  "  All  men,  women  and  children,  take  up 
the  cry,  and  soon  the  whole  encampment  re- 
sounds with,  "  Who  brought  the  sticks?  "  The 
medicine-man,  who  sleeps  apart  from  the  "  com- 
mon herd  "  under  an  incense-tree,  hears  the  din, 
and,  quickly  donning  his  head-dress,  hurries 
down  to  the  scene.  With  an  authoritative  voice, 
which  even  the  chief  himself  does  not  use,  he 

218 


Paraguay. 

demands,  "Who  brought  the  sticks?"  until  a 
young  brave  steps  forward  in  front  of  him  and 
replies,  "  Father  of  Kittens,  I  brought  the  sticks." 
This  young  man  is  then  commanded  to  stand 
apart,  the  girl  is  hunted  out,  and  together  they 
wait  while  the  witch-doctor  X-rays  them  through 
and  through.  After  this  close  scrutiny,  they  are 
asked:  "Do  you  want  this  man?"  "Do  you 
want  this  girl?"  To  which  they  reply,  "Yes, 
Father  of  Kittens,  I  do."  Then,  with  great  show 
of  power,  the  medicine-man  says,  "  Go !  "  and  off 
the  newly-married  pair  start,  to  live  together 
until  death  (in  the  form  of  burial)  does  them 
part. 

It  may  be  a  great  surprise  to  the  reader  to 
learn  that  these  savages  are  exceedingly  moral. 
Infidelity  between  man  and  wife  is  punished  with 
death,  but  in  all  my  travels  I  only  heard  of  one 
such  case.  A  man  marries  only  one  wife,  and 
although  any  expression  of  love  between  them  is 
never  seen,  they  yet  seem  to  think  of  one  another 
in  a  tender  way,  and  it  is  especially  noticeable 
that  the  parents  are  kind  to  their  children. 

One  evening  I  rode  into  an  encampment  of 
savages  who  were  celebrating  a  feast.  About 
fifty  specially-decked-out  Indians  were  standing 
in  a  circle,  and  one  of  the  number  had  a  large 
and  very  noisy  rattle,  with  which  he  kept  time 
to  the  chant  of  Hd,  h4  h4  hd  ha !  ti  ti  ti  li  ti !  6  6  6 
6  6!  ati  ati  ati  au  ati!  The  lurid  lights  of  the 
fires  burning  all  around  lit  up  this  truly  savage 
scene.  The  witch-doctor,  the  old  fakir  named 
"  Father  of  Kittens,"  came  to  me  and  looked  me 
through  and  through  with  his  piercing  eyes.    I 

219. 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

was  given  the  rattle,  and,  although  very  tired, 
had  to  keep  up  a  constant  din,  while  my  wild 
companions  bent  their  bodies  in  strange  contor- 
tions. In  the  centre  of  the  ring  was  a  woman 
with  a  lighted  pipe  in  her  hand.  She  passed  this 
from  one  to  another  and  pushed  it  into  the  mouth 
of  each  one,  who  had  "  a  draw."  My  turn  came, 
and  lo!  the  pipe  was  thrust  between  my  teeth, 
and  the  din  went  on:  B.k  h^!  ti  li!  6  6!  ati  ati! 
This  feast  lasted  three  nights  and  two  days,  but 
the  music  was  not  varied,  and  neither  man  nor 
woman  seemed  to  sleep  or  rest.  Food  was  cook- 
ing at  the  different  fires,  attended  by  the  women, 
but  my  share  was  only  a  roasted  fox's  head!  The 
animal  was  laid  on  the  wood,  with  skin,  head 
and  legs  still  attached,  and  the  whole  was  burnt 
black.  I  was  very  hungry,  and  ate  my  portion 
thankfully.  Christopher  North  said :  "  There's 
a  deal  of  fine  confused  feeding  about  a  sheep's 
head,"  and  so  I  found  with  the  fox's.  Truly,  as 
the  Indian  says,  "hunger  is  a  very  big  man." 

At  these  feasts  a  drum,  made  by  stretching  a 
serpent's  skin  over  one  of  their  clay  pots,  is 
loudly  beaten,  and  the  thigh-bone  of  an  ostrich, 
with  key-holes  burned  in,  is  a  common  musical 
instrument.  From  the  algarroba  bean  an  intoxi- 
cating drink  is  made,  called  ang-min,  and  then 
yells,  hellish  sounds  and  murderous  blows  inspire 
terror  in  the  paleface  guest.  "  It  is  impossible  to 
conceive  anything  more  wild  and  savage  than  the 
scene  of  their  bivouac.  Some  drink  till  they  are 
intoxicated,  others  swallow  the  steaming  blood  of 
slaughtered  animals  for  their  supper,  and  then, 

220 


Paraguay. 

sick  from  drunkenness,  they  east  it  up  again,  and 
are  besmeared  with  gore  and  filth." 

After  the  feast  was  over  I  held  a  service,  and 
told  how  sin  was  injected  into  us  by  the  evil 
spirit,  but  that  all  are  invited  to  the  heavenly 
feast.  My  address  was  listened  to  in  perfect 
silence,  and  the  nodding  heads  showed  that  some, 
at  least,  understood  it.  When  I  finished  speak- 
ing, a  poor  woman,  thinking  she  must  offer  some- 
thing, gave  me  her  baby — a  naked  little  creature 
that  had  never  been  washed  in  its  life.  I  took  it 
up  and  kissed  it,  and  the  poor  woman  smiled. 
Yes,  a  savage  woman  can  smile. 

As  already  stated,  many  different  tribes  of 
Indians  dwell  in  the  Chaco,  and  each  have  their 
different  customs.  In  the  Suhin  tribe  the  rite  of 
burial  may  be  thus  described.  "  The  digger  of 
the  grave  and  the  performer  of  the  ceremony  was 
the  chief,  who  is  also  a  witch-doctor,  and  I  was 
told  that  he  was  about  to  destroy  the  witch- 
doctor who  had  caused  the  man's  death.  A  fire 
was  lit,  and  whilst  the  digging  was  in  progress  a 
stone  and  two  pieces  of  iron  were  being  heated. 
Two  bones  of  a  horse,  a  large  bird's  nest  built  of 
sticks,  and  various  twigs  were  collected.  The 
skin  of  a  jaguar's  head,  a  tooth,  and  the  pads  of 
the  same  animal  were  laid  out.  A  piece  of  wax 
and  a  stone  were  also  heated ;  and  in  a  heap  lay 
a  hide,  some  skins  for  bedding,  and  a  quantity  of 
sheep's  wool.  The  grave  being  finished,  the  cere- 
mony began  by  a  wooden  arrow  being  notched 
in  the  middle  and  waxed,  then  plunged  into  the 
right  breast  of  the  corpse,  when  it  was  snapped  in 
two  at  the  notch,  and  the  remaining  half  was 

221 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horsehack. 

flung  into  the  air,  accompanied  with  a  vengeful 
cry,  in  the  direction  of  the  Toothli  tribe,  one  of 
whose  doctors,  it  was  supposed,  had  caused  the 
man's  death.  Short  pointed  sticks,  apparently 
to  represent  arrows,  were  also  daubed  with  wax, 
two  being  plunged  into  the  throat  and  one  into 
the  left  breast,  the  cry  again  accompanying  each 
insertion.  One  of  the  jaguar's  pads  was  next 
taken,  and  the  head  of  the  corpse  torn  by  the 
claws,  the  growl  of  the  animal  being  imitated 
during  the  process.  An  incision  was  next  made 
in  the  cheek,  and  the  tooth  inserted;  then  the 
head  and  face  were  daubed  with  the  heated  wax. 
The  use  of  the  wax  is  evidently  to  signify  the 
desire  that  both  arrows  and  animal  may  stick  to 
the  man  if  he  be  attacked  by  either.  The  arrows 
were  plunged,  one  into  the  right  breast  down- 
wards, and  another  below  the  ribs,  on  the  same 
side,  but  in  an  upward  direction,  a  third  being 
driven  into  the  right  thigh.  They  also  spoke 
about  breaking  one  of  the  arms,  but  did  not  do 
so.  An  incision  being  made  in  the  abdomen,  the 
heated  stone  was  then  placed  within  the  body. 
They  place  most  reliance  upon  the  work  of  the 
stone.  The  ceremony  is  known  by  the  name  of 
'  M4taim4ng '  stone,  and  all  the  other  things  are 
said  to  assist  it.  Meteorites,  when  seen  to  pass 
along  the  sky,  are  regarded  with  awe;  they  are 
believed  to  be  these  stones  in  passage.  The  body 
was  placed  in  the  grave  with  the  head  to  the 
west,  the  jaguar's  head  and  pads  being  first 
placed  under  it.  A  bunch  of  grass,  tied  together, 
was  placed  upon  the  body;  then  the  bird's  nest 
was   burned    upon    it.     The   bones   were    next 

222 


Paraguay. 

thrown  in,  and  over  all  the  various  articles  be- 
fore mentioned  were  placed.  These  were  to  ac- 
company the  soul  in  its  passage  to  the  west.  In 
this  act  the  idea  of  a  future  state  is  more  dis- 
tinctly seen  than  ever  it  has  been  seen  amongst 
the  Lenguas,  who  bum  all  a  man's  possessions 
at  his  death.  The  ceremony  finished,  the  grave 
was  covered  in,  logs  and  twigs  being  carelessly 
thrown  on  the  top,  apparently  simply  to  indicate 
the  existence  of  a  grave.  The  thing  which  struck 
me  most  was  the  intense  spirit  of  vengeance 
shown." 

Notwithstanding  such  terrible  savagery,  how- 
ever, the  Indian  has  ideas  of  right  and  wrong 
that  put  Christian  civilization  to  shame.  The 
people  are  perfectly  honest  and  truthful.  I  be- 
lieve they  cannot  lie,  and  stealing  is  entirely 
unknown  among  them. 

Many  are  the  experiences  I  have  had  in  the 
Chaco.  Some  of  them  haunt  me  still  like  ghostly 
shadows.  The  evening  camp-fire,  the  glare  of 
which  lit  up  and  made  more  hideous  still  my 
savage  followers,  gorging  themselves  until  cov- 
ered with  filth  and  gore.  The  times  when,  from 
sheer  hunger,  I  have,  like  them,  torn  up  bird  or 
beast  and  eaten  it  raw.  The  draughts  of  water 
from  the  Indian  hole  containing  the  putrefying 
remains  of  some  dead  animal;  my  shirt  drop- 
ping off  in  rags  and  no  wash  for  three  weeks. 
The  journeys  through  miles  of  malarial  swamps 
and  pathless  wilderness.  The  revolting  food,  and 
the  want  of  food.  Ah !  the  memory  is  a  bad  dream 
from  which  I  muisit  awake. 

223 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

The  other  side,  you  say?  Yes,  there  is  another. 
A  cloudless  blue  sky  overhead.  The  gorgeous 
air-flowers,  delicate  and  fragrant.  Trees  covered 
with  a  drapery  of  orchidaceae.  The  love- 
liest of  flowers  and  shrubs.  Birds  of  rainbow 
beauty,  painted  by  the  hand  of  God,  as  only  He 
can.  Flamingoes,  parrots,  humming-birds,  but- 
terflies of  every  size  and  hue.  Arborescent  ferns ; 
cacti,  thirty  feet  high,  like  huge  candelabra. 
Creeping  plants  growing  a  hundred  feet,  and  then 
passing  from  the  top  of  one  ever-vernal  tree  to 
another,  forming  a  canopy  for  one  from  the  sun's 
rays,  ('battering  monkeys.  Deer,  with  more 
beautiful  eyes  than  ever  woman  had  since  Eve 
fell.  The  balmy  air  wafting  incense  from  the 
burning  bush ;  and  last,  but  oh,  not  least,  the  joy 
in  seeing  the  degraded  aborigine  learning  to  love 
the  "  Light  of  the  World  " !  Yes,  there  are  de- 
lights; but  "life  is  real,  life  is  earnest,"  and  a 
meal  of  aJgarroba  beans  (the  husks  of  the  prodi- 
gal son  of  Luke  xv.)  is  not  any  more  tempting  if 
eaten  under  the  shade  of  a  waving  palm  of  sur- 
passing beauty. 

The  mission  station  previously  referred  to  lies 
one  hundred  miles  in  from  the  river  bank,  three 
hundred  miles  north  of  Asuncion,  among  the 
Lengua  Indians.  As  far  as  I  am  aware,  no  Para- 
guayan has  ever  visited  there.  The  missionaries 
wish  their  influence  to  be  the  only  one  in  train- 
ing the  Indian  mind.  The  village  bears  the 
strange  name  of  Waikthlatemialwa  (The  Place 
Where  the  ToaJs  Arrived).  At  the  invitation 
of  the  missionaries,  I  was  privileged  to  go  there 
and  see  their  work.    A  trail  leads  in  from  the 


Paraguay. 

river  bank,  but  it  is  so  bad  that  bullock  carts 
taking  in  provisions  occupy  ten  and  twelve  days 
on  the  journey.  Tamaswa  (The  Locust  Eater), 
my  guide,  led  me  all  during  the  first  day  out 
through  a  palm  forest,  and  at  night  we  slept  on 
the  hard  ground.  The  Indian  was  a  convert  of 
the  mission,  and  although  painted,  feathered  and 
almost  naked,  seemed  really  an  exemplary  Chria- 
tian.  The  missionaries  labored  for  eleven  years 
without  gaining  a  single  convert,  but  Tamaswa 
is  not  the  only  "  follower  of  Jesus  "  now.  During 
the  day  we  shot  a  deer,  and  that  evening,  being 
very  hungry,  I  ate  perhaps  two  pounds  of  meat. 
Tamaswa  finished  the  rest!  True,  it  was  only  a 
small  deer,  but  as  I  wish  to  retain  my  character 
for  veracity,  I  dare  not  say  how  much  it  weighed. 
This  meal  concluded,  we  knelt  on  the  ground. 
I  read  out  of  the  old  Book :  "  I  go  to  prepare 
a  place  for  you,"  and  Locust  Eater  offered  a 
simple  prayer  for  protection,  help  and  safety  to 
the  God  who  understands  all  languages. 

My  blanket  was  wet  through  and  through  with 
the  green  slime  through  which  we  had  waded 
and  splashed  for  hours,  but  we  curled  ourselves 
up  under  a  beer  barrel  tree  and  tried  to  sleep. 
The  howling  jaguars  and  other  beasts  of  prey 
in  the  jungle  made  this  almost  impossible.  Sev- 
eral times  I  was  awakened  by  my  guide  rising, 
and,  by  the  light  of  a  palm  torch,  searching  for 
wood  to  replenish  the  dying  fire,  in  the  smoke  of 
which  we  slept,  as  a  help  against  the  millions 
of  mosquitos  buzzing  around.  Towards  morning 
a  large  beast  of  some  kind  leaped  right  over  me, 
and  I  rose  to  rekindle  the  fire,  which  my  guide 

225 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

had  suffered  to  die  out,  and  then  I  watched  until 
day  dawned.  As  all  the  deer  was  consumed,  we 
started  off  without  breakfast,  but  were  fortunate 
later  on  in  being  able  to  shoot  two  wild  turkeys 

That  day  we  rode  on  through  the  endless  for- 
est of  palms,  and  waded  through  a  quagmire  at 
least  eight  miles  in  extent,  where  the  green  slime 
reached  up  to  the  saddle-flaps.  On  that  day  we 
came  to  a  sluggish  stream,  bearing  the  name 
of  "  Aptikpangmakthlaingwainkyapaimpangkya'* 
(The  Place  Where  the  Pots  Were  Struck  When 
They  Were  About  to  Feast).  There  a  punt  was 
moored,  into  which  we  placed  our  saddles,  etc., 
and  paddled  across,  while  the  horses  swam  the 
almost  stagnant  water.  Saddling  up  on  the  other 
side,  we  had  a  journey  of  thirty  miles  to  make 
before  arriving  at  a  waterhole,  where  we  camped 
for  the  second  night.  I  don't  know  what  real 
nectar  is,  but  that  water  was  nectar  to  me,  al- 
though the  horses  sniffed  and  at  first  refused  to 
drink  it. 

At  sunset  on  the  third  day  we  emerged  from 
the  palm  forest  and  endless  marshes,  and  by  the 
evening  of  the  fourth  day  the  church,  built  of 
palm  logs,  loomed  up  on  the  horizon.  Many  of 
the  Indians  came  out  to  meet  us,  and  my  arrival 
was  the  talk  of  the  village.  The  people  seemed 
happy,  and  the  missionaries  made  me  at  home 
in  their  roughly-built  log  shanties.  Next  morn- 
ing I  found  a  gift  had  been  brought  me  by  the 
Indians.  It  was  a  beautiful  feather  headdress, 
but  it  had  just  been  left  on  the  step,  the  usual 
way  they  have  of  making  presents.  The  Indian 
expects  no  thanks,  and  he  giv^  none.       The 

226 


TAMASWA  (THE    LOCUST    EATER)    PROCl  RINC.   I OOD. 
This  young  man  could  put  the  point  of  his  arrow  into  a  deer's  eye  a  hundred  yards  distant. 


FASHIONS  OK  THE  CHACO. 
[227J 


Paraguay. 

women  received  any  present  I  handed  them  cour- 
teously but  silently.  The  men  would  accept  a 
looking-glass  from  me  and  immediately  commence 
to  search  their  face  for  any  trace  of  "  dirty 
hairs,"  probably  brought  to  their  mind  by  the 
sight  of  mine,  but  not  even  a  grunt  of  satisfac- 
tion would  be  given.  No  Chaco  language  has  a 
word  for  "  thanks.'' 

There  is,  among  the  Lenguas,  an  old  tradition 
to  the  effect  that  for  generations  they  have  been 
expecting  the  aj^rival  of  some  strangers  who 
would  live  among  them  and  teach  them  about 
the  spirit-world.  These  long-looked-for  teachers 
were  called  The  Imlah.  The  tradition  says  that 
when  the  Imlah  arrive,  all  the  Indians  must  obey 
their  teaching,  and  take  care  that  the  said  Imlah 
do  not  again  leave  their  country,  for  if  so  they, 
the  Indians,  would  disappear  from  the  land. 
When  Mr.  Grubb  and  his  helpers  first  landed, 
they  were  immediately  asked,  "  Are  you  the 
Imlah?"  and  to  this  question  they,  of  course, 
answered  yes.  Was  it  not  because  of  this  tradi- 
tion that  the  Indian  who  later  shot  Mr.  Grubb 
with  a  poisoned  arrow  was  himself  put  to  death 
by  the  tribe? 

About  twenty  boys  attend  the  school  estab- 
lished at  Waikthlatemialwa,  and  strange  names 
some  of  them  bear;  let  Haikuk  (Little  Dead  One) 
serve  as  an  example.  It  is  truly  a  cheering  sight 
to  see  this  sign  of  a  brighter  day.  When  these 
boys  return  to  their  distant  toldos  to  tell  "  the 
news"  to  their  dark-minded  parents,  the  most 
wonderful  of  all  to  relate  is  "  Liklamo  ithnik 
fiata  abwathwuk  enthlit  God;  hingyahamok  hik- 

229 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

fiata  apkyapasa  apkyitka  abwanthlabanko.  Ap- 
takmilkischik  sat  ankuk  appaiwa  ingyitsipe  sata 
netin  thlamokthloho  abyiam."* 

Well  might  the  wondering  mother  of  "  Dark 
Cloud  "  call  her  next>born  "  Samai "  (The  Dawn 
of  Day). 

The  Indian  counts  by  his  hands  and  feet.  Five 
would  be  one  hand,  two  hands  ten,  two  hands 
and  a  foot  fifteen,  and  a  specially  clever  savage 
could  even  count  "  my  two  hands  and  my  two 
feet."  Now  Mr.  Hunt  is  changing  that:  five  is 
thalmemik,  ten  sohok-emek,  fifteen  sohokthlama- 
eminik,  and  twenty  sohok-emankuk. 

When  a  boy  in  school  desires  to  say  eighteen, 
he  must  first  of  all  take  a  good  deep  breath,  for 
sohok-emek-wakthla-mok-eminick-antanthlama  is 
no  short  word.  This  literally  means :  "  finished 
my  hands — pass  to  my  other  foot  three." 

At  the  school  I  saw  the  skin  of  a  water-snake 
twenty-six  feet  nine  inches  long,  but  a  book  of 
pictures  I  had  interested  the  boys  far  more. 

The  mission  workers  have  each  a  name  given 
to  them  by  the  Indians,  and  some  of  them  are 
more  than  strange.  Apkilwankakme  (The  MaE 
Who  Forgot  His  Face)  used  to  be  called  Nason 
when  he  moved  in  high  English  circles;  now  he 
is  ragged  and  torn-looking ;  but  the  old  Book  my 
mother  used  to  read  says :  "  He  that  loseth  his 
life  for  My  sake  shall  find  it."  Some  of  us  have 
yet  to  learn  that  if  we  would  remember  His  face 
it  is  necessary  for  us  to  forget  our  own.  If  the 
unbeliever  in  mission  work  were  to  go  to  Waik- 
thlatemialwa,  he  would  come  away  a  converted 

•John  t:  16.  23^ 


Paraguay. 

man.  The  former  witch-doctor,  who  for  long 
made  "havoc,"  but  has  since  been  born  again, 
would  tell  him  that  during  a  recent  famine  he 
talked  to  the  Unseen  Spirit,  and  said :  "  Give  us 
food,  God!"  and  that,  when  only  away  a  very 
short  while,  his  arrows  killed  three  ostriches  and 
a  deer.  He  would  see  Mrs.  Mopilinkilana  walk- 
ing about,  clothed  and  in  her  right  mind.  Who 
is  she?  The  murderess  of  her  four  children — 
the  woman  who  could  see  the  skull  of  her  own 
boy  kicking  about  the  toldo  for  days,  and  watch 
it  finally  cracked  up  and  eaten  by  the  dogs.  Can 
such  as  she  be  changed?  The  Scripture  says: 
"  Every  one  that  believeth." 

The  Lengua  language  contains  no  word  for 
God,  worship,  praise,  sacrifice,  sin,  holiness, 
reward,  punishment  or  duty,  but  their  meanings 
are  now  being  made  clear. 

The  church  at  Waikthlatemialwa  has  no 
colored  glass  windows — old  canvas  bags  take 
their  place.  The  reverent  worshippers  assemble 
morning  and  evening,  in  all  the  pride  of  their 
paint  and  feathers,  but  there  is  no  hideous  idol 
inside;  nay!  they  worship  the  invisible  One, 
whom  they  can  see  even  with  closely  shut  eyes. 
To  watch  the  men  and  women,  with  erect  bear- 
ing, and  each  walking  in  the  other's  footsteps, 
enter  the  church,  is  a  sight  well  worth  the  seeing. 
They  bow  themselves,  not  before  some  fetish,  as 
one  might  suppose,  but  to  the  One  whom,  having 
not  seen,  some  of  them  are  learning  to  love. 

One  of  the  missionaries  translated  my  simple 
address  to  the  dusky  congregation,  who  listened 
with  wondering  awe  to  the  ever-new  story  of 

231 


Through  Five  Republics  on  HorsehacJc. 

Jesus.  As  the  Lengua  language  contains  no  word 
for  God,  the  Indians  have  adopted  our  English 
word,  and  both  that  name  and  Jesus  came  out  in 
striking  distinctness  during  the  service,  and  in 
the  fervent  prayer  of  the  old  ex-witch-doctor 
which  followed.  With  the  familiar  hymn, 
"  There  is  a  green  hill  far  away,"  the  meeting 
concluded.  The  women  with  nervous  air  silently 
retired,  but  the  men  saluted  me,  and  some  even 
went  so  far  as  to  shake  hands — with  the  left 
hand.  Would  that  similar  stations  were  estab- 
lished all  over  this  neglected  land!  While 
churches  and  mission  buildings  crowd  each  other 
in  the  home  lands,  the  Chaco,  with  an  estimated 
population  of  three  millions,  must  be  content 
with  this  one  ray  of  light  in  the  dense  night. 

On  that  far-off  "  green  hill "  we  shall  meet 
some  even  from  the  Lengua  tribe.  Christ  said: 
"  I  am  the  door ;  by  Me  if  any  man  enter  in,  he 
shall  be  saved."  But  oh,  "  Painted  Face,"  you 
spoke  truth;  the  white  "thing"  is  selfish,  and 
keeps  this  wondrous  knowledge  to  himself. 


232 


PART  IV. 

BRAZIL 


"  There  can  be  no  more  fascinating  field  of  labor  than 
Brazil,  notwithstanding  the  difficulty  of  the  soil  and  the 
immense  tracts  of  country  which  have  to  be  traversed.  It 
covers  half  a  continent,  and  is  three  times  the  size  of 
British  India.  Far  away  in  the  interior  there  exist  numer- 
ous Indian  tribes  with,  as  yet,  no  written  language,  and 
consequently  no  Bible.  Thrust  back  by  the  white  man 
from  their  original  homes,  these  children  of  the  forest  and 
the  river  are,  perhaps,  the  most  needy  of  the  tribes  of  the 
earth.  For  all  that  these  millions  know,  the  Gospel  is 
non-existent  and  Jesus  Christ  has  never  visited  and 
redeemed  the  world."* 

•"The  Neglected  Continent." 

233 


BRAZIL 


The  Republic  of  Brazil  has  an  area  of  3,350,000 
square  miles.  From  north  to  south  the  country 
measures  2,600  miles,  and  from  east  to  west 
2,500  miles.  While  the  Republic  of  Bolivia  has 
no  s^  coast,  Brazil  has  3,700  miles  washed  by 
ocean  waves.  The  population  of  this  great  em- 
pire is  twenty-two  millions.  Out  of  this  perhaps 
twenty  millions  speak  the  Portuguese  language. 

"  If  Brazil  was  populated  in  the  same  propor- 
tion as  Belgium  is  per  square  mile,  Brazil  would 
have  a  population  of  1,939,571,699.  That  is  to 
say,  Brazil,  a  single  country  in  South  America, 
could  hold  and  support  the  entire  population  of 
the  world,  and  hundreds  of  millions  more,  the 
estimate  of  the  earth's  population  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  twentieth  century  being  1,600,- 
000,000."* 

Besides  the  millions  of  mules,  horses  and  other 
animals,  there  are,  in  the  republic,  twenty-five 
millions  of  cattle. 

Brazil  is  rich  in  having  50,000  miles  of  navig- 
able waterways.  Three  of  the  largest  rivers  of 
the  world  flow  through  its  territory.  The  Orinoco 
attains  a  width  of  four  miles,  and  is  navigable 
for  1,400  miles.  The  Amazon  alone  drains  a 
basin  of  2,500,000  square  miles. 

*Blshop  Neely's  "  South  America." 

234 


Brazil. 

Out  of  this  mighty  stream  there  flows  every  day 
three  times  the  volume  of  water  that  flows  from 
the  Mississippi.  Many  a  sea-captain  has  thought 
himself  in  the  ocean  while  riding  its  stormy 
bosom.  That  most  majestic  of  all  rivers,  with 
its  estuary  180  miles  wide,  is  the  great  highway 
of  Brazil.  Steamboats  frequently  leave  the  sea 
and  sail  up  its  winding  channels  into  the  far 
interior  of  Ecuador — a  distance  of  nearly  4,000 
miles.  All  the  world  knows  that  both  British  and 
American  men-of-war  have  visited  the  city  of 
Iquitos  in  Peru,  2,400  miles  up  the  Amazon  River. 
The  sailor  on  taking  soundings  has  found  a  depth 
of  170  feet  of  water  at  2,000  miles  from  the 
mouth.  Stretches  of  water  and  impenetrable 
forest  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach  are  all  the 
traveller  sees. 

Prof.  Orton  says:  "The  valley  of  the  Amazon 
is  probably  the  most  sparsely  populated  region 
on  the  globe,"  and  yet  Agassiz  predicted  that 
"  the  future  centre  of  civilization  of  the  world 
will  be  in  the  Amazon  Valley."  I  doubt  if  there 
are  now  500  acres  of  tilled  land  in  the  millions 
of  square  miles  the  mighty  river  drains.  Where 
cultivated,  coffee,  tobacco,  rubber,  sugar,  cocoa, 
rice,  beans,  etc.,  freely  grow,  and  the  farmer  gets 
from  500  to  800-fold  for  every  bushel  of  corn  he 
plants.  Humboldt  estimated  that  4,000  pounds  of 
bananas  can  be  produced  in  the  same  area  as  33 
pounds  of  wheat  or  99  pounds  of  potatoes. 

The  natural  wealth  of  the  country  is  almost 
fabulous.  Its  mountain  chains  contain  coal,  gold, 
silver,  tin,  zinc,  mercury  and  whole  mountains 
of  the  very  best  iron  ore,  while  in  forty  years  five 

235 


Biazil. 

million  carats  of  diamonds  have  been  sent  to 
Europe.  In  1907  Brazil  exported  ten  million 
dollars'  worth  of  cocoa,  seventy  million  dollars' 
worth  of  rubber;  and  from  the  splendid  stone 
docks  of  Santos,  which  put  to  shame  anything 
seen  on  this  northern  continent,  either  in  New 
York  or  Boston,  there  was  shipped  one  hundred 
and  forty-two  million  dollars'  worth  of  coffee. 
Around  Rio  Janeiro  alone  there  are  a  hundred 
million  coffee  trees,  and  the  grower  gets  two 
crops  a  year. 

Yet  this  great  republic  has  only  had  its  borders 
touched.  It  is  estimated  that  there  are  over  a 
million  Indians  in  the  interior,  who  hold  undis- 
puted possession  of  four-fifths  of  the  country. 
Three  and  a  quarter  million  square  miles  of  the 
republic  thus  remains  to  a  great  extent  an  un- 
known, unexplored  wilderness.  In  this  area  there 
are  over  a  million  square  miles  of  virgin  forest, 
"  the  largest  and  densest  on  earth."  The  forest 
region  of  the  Amazon  is  twelve  hundred  miles 
east  to  west,  and  eight  hundred  miles  north  to 
south,  and  this  sombre,  primeval  woodland  has 
not  yet  been  crossed.* 

Brazil's  federal  capital,  Rio  de  Janeiro,  stands 
on  the  finest  harbor  of  the  world,  in  which  float 
ships  from  all  nations.  Proudest  among  these 
crafts  are  the  large  Brazilian  gunboats.  "  It  is 
a  curious  anomaly,"  says  the  Scientific  American, 
"  that  the  most  powerful  Dreadnought  afloat 
should  belong  to  a  South  American  republic,  but 

•Just  as  this  goes  to  press  the  newspapers  announce  that  the 
Brazilian  Government  has  appropriated  $10,000  towards  the  ex- 
penses of  an  expedition  Into  the  Interior,  under  the  leadership 
of  Henry  Savage  Landor,   the  English  explorer. 

236 


Brazil. 

it  cannot  be  denied  that  the  Minas  Geraes  is  en- 
titled to  that  distinction."  This  is  one  of  the 
vessels  that  mutinied  in  1910. 

Around  the  bay  of  Rio  there  has  been  built  at 
a  fabulous  cost  what  is  described  by  travellers 
as  "the  finest  marine  driveway  of  the  world." 
This  avenue  is  16  miles  long  and  in  the  centre  is 
the  palace  of  peace,  a  building  originally  erected 
by  the  Brazilian  Government  for  the  Fair  at 
St.  Louis. 

"Rio  Janeiro,  the  beautiful,"  is  an  imperial 
city  of  imposing  grandeur.  It  is  the  largest 
Portuguese  city  of  the  world — greater  than  Lis- 
bon and  Oporto  together.  It  has  been  called 
"the  finest  city  on  the  continents  of  America, — 
perhaps  in  the  world,  with  unqualifiedly  the  most 
beautiful  street  in  all  the  world,  the  Avenida 
Central."*  That  magnificent  avenue,  over  a  mile 
long  and  one  hundred  and  ten  feet  wide,  asphalt 
paved  and  superbly  illuminated,  is  lined  with 
costly  modern  buildings,  some  of  them  truly  im- 
posing. Ten  people  can  walk  abreast  on  its  beau- 
tiful black  and  white  mosaic  sidewalks.  The 
buildings  which  had  to  be  demolished  in  order 
to  build  this  superb  avenue  cost  the  government 
seven  and  a  half  millions  of  dollars,  and  they 
were  bought  at  their  taxed  value,  which,  it  was 
estimated,  was  only  a  third  of  the  actual. f 

Some  years  ago  I  knew  a  thousand  people  a 
day  to  die  in  Rio  Janeiro  of  yellow  fever.    It  is 

*Clark.     ' '  Continent  of  Opportunity. ' ' 

f'But  as  a  wonderful  city,  the  crowning  glory  of  Brazil — 
yes  of  the  world,  I  believe — is  Rio  de  Janeiro." — C.  W.  Fur- 
long, in  ''The  World's  Work." 

237 


Brazil. 

now  one  of  the  healthiest  of  cities,  with  a  death- 
rate  far  less  than  that  of  New  York. 

Rio  Janeiro,  as  I  first  knew  it,  was  far  behind. 
Oil  lamps  shed  fitful  gleams  here  and  there  on 
half-naked  people.  Electric  lights  now  dispel 
the  darkness  of  the  streets,  and  electric  street- 
cars thread  in  and  out  of  the  "  Ruas."  There  is 
progress  everywhere  and  in  everything. 

To-day  the  native  of  Rio  truthfully  boasts  that 
his  city  has  "  the  finest  street-car  system  of  any 
city  of  the  world." 

A  man  is  not  permitted  to  ride  in  these  cars 
unless  he  wears  a  tie,  which  seems  to  be  the 
badge  of  respectability.  To  a  visitor  these  exac- 
tions are  amusing.  A  friend  of  mine  visited  the 
city,  and  we  rode  together  on  the  cars  until  it 
was  discovered  that  he  wore  no  tie.  The  day  was 
hot,  and  my  friend  (a  gentleman  of  private 
means)  had  thought  that  a  white  silk  shirt  with 
turn-down  collar  was  enough.  We  felt  somewhat 
humiliated  when  he  was  ignominiously  turned 
off  the  car,  while  the  black  ex-slaves  on  board 
smiled  aristocratically.  If  you  visit  Rio 
Janeiro,  by  all  means  wear  a  tie.  If  you  forget 
your  shirt,  or  coat,  or  boots,  it  will  matter  little, 
but  the  absence  of  a  tie  will  give  the  negro  cause 
to  insult  you. 

Some  large,  box-like  cars  have  the  words 
"  Descalcos  e  Bagagem"  (literally,  "For  the 
Shoeless  and  Baggage")  printed  across  them. 
In  these  the  poorer  classes  and  the  tieless  can 

238 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Eorsehack. 

ride  for  half-price.  And  to  make  room  for  the 
constantly  inflowing  people  from  Europe,  two 
great  hills  are  being  removed  and  "  cast  into  the 
sea." 

Kio  Janeiro  may  be  earth's  coming  city.  It 
somewhat  disturbs  our  self-complacency  to  learn 
that  they  have  spent  more  for  public  improve- 
ments than  has  any  city  of  the  United  States, 
with  the  exception  of  New  York.  Municipal 
works,  involving  an  expenditure  of  $40,000,000, 
have  contributed  to  this. 

Rio  Janeiro,  however,  is  not  the  only  large  and 
growing  city  Brazil  can  boast  of.  Sao  Paulo, 
with  its  population  of  300,000  and  its  two-mil- 
lion-dollar opera  house,  which  fills  the  space  of 
three  New  York  blocks,  is  worthy  of  mention. 
Bahia,  founded  in  1549,  has  270,000  inhabitants, 
and  is  the  centre  of  the  diamond  market  of 
Brazil.  Pard,  with  its  population  of  200,000, 
who  export  one  hundred  million  dollars'  worth 
of  rubber  yearly  and  keep  up  a  theatre  better 
than  anything  of  the  kind  in  New  York,  is  no 
mean  city.  Pernambuco,  also,  has  200,000  in- 
habitants, large  buildings,  and  as  much  as  eight 
million  dollars  have  recently  been  devoted  to 
harbor  improvements  there. 

Outside  of  these  citi^es  there  are  estates,  quite 
a  few  of  which  are  worth  more  than  a  million 
dollars;  one  coffee  plantation  has  five  million 
trees  and  employs  five  thousand  people. 

With  its  Amazon  River,  six  hundred  miles 
longer  than  the  journey  from  New  York  to  Liver- 
pool, England,  with  its  eight  branches,  each  of 
which  is  navigable  for  more  than  a  thousand 
miles,  Brazil's  future  m'^st  be  very  great. 

239 


CHAPTER  XII. 

A  JOURNEY  FROM  RIO  JANEIRO  TO  THE 
INLAND  TOWN  OF  CORUMBA. 

Brazil  has  oyer  10,000  miles  of  railway,  but 
as  it  is  a  country  larger  than  the  whole  of 
Europe,  the  reader  can  easily  understand  that 
many  parts  must  be  still  remote  from  the  iron 
road  and  almost  inaccessible.  The  town  of 
Cuyab^,  as  the  crow  flies,  is  not  one  thousand 
miles  from  Rio,  but,  in  the  absence  of  any  kind 
of  roads,  the  traveller  from  Rio  must  sail  down 
the  one  thousand  miles  of  sea-coast,  and,  enter- 
ing the  River  Plate,  proceed  up  the  Paranfi,, 
Paraguay,  and  San  Lorenzo  rivers  to  reach  it, 
making  it  a  journey  of  3,600  miles. 

"  In  the  time  demanded  for  a  Brazilian  to 
reach  points  in  the  interior,  setting  out  from  the 
national  capital  and  going  either  by  way  of  the 
Amazon  or  Rio  de  la  Plata  systems  of  water- 
ways, he  might  journey  to  Europe  and  back  two 
or  three  times  over."* 

The  writer  on  one  occasion  was  in  Rio  when 
a  certain  mission  called  him  to  the  town  of  Cor- 
umbd,  distant  perhaps  1,300  miles  from  the 
capital.  Does  the  reader  wish  to  journey  to  that 
inland  town  with  him? 

Boarding  an  ocean  steamer  at  Rio,  we  sail 
down  the  stormy  sea-coast  for  one  thousand  miles 

*  Sylvester  Baxter,  In  The  Outlook,  March,  1908. 

241 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

to  Montevideo.  There  we  tranship  into  the 
Buenos  Ayres  boat,  and  proceed  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  up  the  river  to  that  city.  Almost 
every  day  steamers  leave  that  great  centre  for  far 
interior  points.  The  "  Rapido  "  was  ready  to  sail 
for  Asuncion,  so  we  breasted  the  stream  one 
thousand  miles  more,  when  that  city  was  reached. 
There  another  steamer  waited  to  carry  us  to  Cor- 
umb5,  another  thousand  miles  further  north. 

The  climate  and  scenery  of  the  upper  reaches 
of  the  Paraguay  are  superb,  but  our  spirits  were 
damped  one  morning  when  we  discovered  that  a 
man  of  our  party  had  mysteriously  disappeared 
during  the  night.  We  had  all  sat  down  to  dinner 
the  previous  evening  in  health  and  spirits,  and 
now  one  was  missing.  The  All-seeing  One  only 
knows  his  fate.    To  us  he  disappeared  forever. 

Higher  up  the  country — or  lower,  I  cannot  tell 
which,  for  the  river  winds  in  all  directions,  and 
the  compass,  from  pointing  our  course  as  due 
north,  glides  over  to  northwest,  west,  southwest, 
and  on  one  or  two  occasions,  I  believe,  pointed 
due  south — we  came  to  the  first  Brazilian  town, 
Puerto  Martinho,  where  we  were  obliged  to  stay 
a  short  time.  A  boat  put  off  from  the  shore,  in 
which  were  some  well-dressed  natives.  Before 
she  reached  us  and  made  fast,  a  loud  report  of  a 
Winchester  rang  out  from  the  midst  of  those 
assembled  on  the  deck  of  our  steamer,  and  a  man 
in  the  boat  threw  up  his  arms  and  dropped ;  the 
spark  of  life  had  gone  out.  So  quickly  did  this 
happen  that  before  we  had  time  to  look  around 
the  unfortunate  man  was  weltering  in*  his  own 

242 


Brazil. 

blood  In  the  bottom  of  the  boat !  The  assassin,  an 
elderly  Brazilian,  who  had  eaten  at  our  table  and 
scarcely  spoken  to  anyone,  stepped  forward 
quietly,  confessing  that  he  had  shot  one  of  his 
old  enemies.  He  was  then  taken  ashore  in  the 
ship's  boat,  there  to  await  Brazilian  justice,  and 
later  on,  to  appear  before  a  higher  tribunal, 
where  the  accounts  of  all  men  will  be  balanced. 

Such  rottenness  obtains  in  Brazilian  law  that 
not  long  since  a  judge  sued  in  court  a  man  who 
had  bribed  him  and  sought  to  evade  paying  the 
bribe.  Knowing  this  laxity,  we  did  not  anticipate 
that  our  murderous  fellow-traveller  would  have 
to  suffer  much  for  his  crime.  The  News,  of  Rio 
Janeiro,  recently  said:  "The  punishment  of  a 
criminal  who  has  any  influence  whatever  is  be- 
coming one  of  the  forgotten  things." 

After  leaving  Puerto  Martinho,  the  uniform 
flatness  of  the  river  banks  changes  to  wild, 
mountainous  country.  On  either  hand  rise  high 
mountains,  whose  blue  tops  at  times  almost 
frowned  over  our  heads,  and  the  luxuriant  tropi- 
cal vegetation,  with  creeping  lianas,  threatened 
to  bar  our  progress.  Huge  alligators  sunned 
themselves  on  the  banks,  and  birds  of  brilliant 
plumage  flew  from  branch  to  branch.  Car- 
pinchos,  with  heavy,  pig-like  tread,  walked  among 
the  rushes  of  the  shore,  and  made  more  than  one 
good  dish  for  our  table.  This  water-hog,  the 
largest  gnawing  animal  in  the  world,  is  here  very 
common  Their  length,  from  end  of  snout  to  tail, 
is  between  three  and  four  feet,  while  they  fre- 
quently weigh  up  to  one  hundred  pounds.  The 
girth  of  their  body  will  often  exceed  the  length 

243 


firough  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

by  a  foot.  For  food,  they  eat  the  many  aquatic 
plants  of  the  river  banks,  and  the  puma,  in  turn, 
finds  them  as  delicious  a  morsel  as  we  did.  The 
head  of  this  amphibious  hog  presents  quite  a 
ludicrous  aspect,  owing  to  the  great  depth  of  the 
jaw,  and  to  see  them  sitting  on  their  haunches, 
like  huge  rabbits,  is  an  amusing  sight.  The 
young  cling  on  to  the  mother's  back  when  she 
swims. 

Farther  on  we  stopped  to  take  in  wood  at  a 
large  Brazilian  cattle  establishment,  and  a  man 
there  assured  us  that  "  there  were  no  venomous 
insects  except  tigers,"  but  these  killed  at  least 
fifteen  per  cent,  of  his  animals.  Not  long  pre- 
viously a  tiger  had,  in  one  night,  killed  five  men 
and  a  dog.  The  heat  every  day  grew  more  oppres- 
sive. On  the  eighth  day  we  passed  the  Brazilian 
fort  and  arsenal  of  Cuimbre,  with  its  brass  can- 
non shining  in  a  sun  of  brass,  and  its  sleepy 
inhabitants  lolling  in  the  shada 

Five  weeks  after  leaving  Rio  Janeiro  we  finally 
anchored  in  Corumb4,  an  intensely  sultry  spot. 
Corumb^  is  a  town  of  5,000  inhabitants,  and 
often  said  to  be  one  of  the  hottest  in  the  world. 
It  is  an  unhealthy  place,  as  are  most  towns  with- 
out drainage  and  water  supply.  In  the  hotter 
season  of  the  year  the  ratio  on  a  six  months'  aver- 
age may  be  two  deaths  to  one  birth.  It  is  a  place 
where  dogs  at  times  seem  more  numerous  than 
people,  a  town  where  justice  is  administered  in 
ways  new  and  strange.  Does  the  reader  wish  an 
instance?  An  assassin  of  the  deepest  dye  was 
given  over  by  the  judge  to  the  tender  mercies  of 
the  crowd.    The  man  was  thereupon  attacked  by 

244 


Brazil. 

the  whole  population  in  one  mass.  He  was  shot 
and  stabbed,  stoned  and  beaten  until  he  became 
almost  a  shapeless  heap,  and  was  then  hurried 
away  in  a  mule  cart,  and,  without  coffin,  priest 
or  mourners,  was  buried  like  a  dog. 

Perhaps  the  populace  felt  they  had  to  take  the 
law  into  their  own  hands,  for  I  was  told  that  the 
Governor  had  taken  upon  himself  the  responsi- 
bility of  leaving  the  prison  gates  open  to  thirty- 
two  men,  who  had  quietly  walked  out.  These 
men  had  been  incarcerated  for  various  reasons, 
murder,  etc.,  for  even  in  this  state  of  Matto 
Grosso  an  assassin  who  cannot  pay  or  escape 
suffers  a  little  imprisonment.  The  excuse  was, 
"  We  cannot  afford  to  keep  so  many  idle  men — 
we  are  poor."  What  a  confession  for  a  Bra- 
zilian !  I  do  not  vouch  for  the  story,  for  I  was 
not  an  eye-witness  to  the  act,  but  it  is  quite  in 
the  range  of  Brazilian  possibilities.  The  only 
discrepancy  may  be  the  strange  way  of  Portu- 
guese counting.  A  man  buys  three  horses,  but  his 
account  is  that  he  has  bought  twelve  feet  of 
horses.  He  embarks  a  hundred  cows,  but  the 
manifest  describes  the  transaction  as  four  hun- 
dred feet.  The  Brazilian  is  in  this  respect  almost 
a  Yankee — little  sums  do  not  content  him.  Why 
should  they,  when  he  can  truthfully  boast  that  his 
territory  is  larger  than  that  of  the  United 
States?  His  mile  is  longer  than  that  of  any 
other  nation,  and  the  hocadinho,  or  extra 
"  mouthful,"  which  generally  accompanies  it,  is 
endless.  Instead  of  having  one  hundred  cents  to 
the  dollar,  he  has  two  thousand,  and  each  cent 

245 


Through  Five  Repuhlica  on  Horseback. 

is  called  a  "king."   The  sound  Is  big,  but  alas, 
the  value  of  his  money  is  insignificantly  small ! 

The  child  is  not  content  with  being  called 
John  Smith.  "  Jos6  Maria  Jesus  Jodo  dois 
Sanctos  Sylva  da  Costa  da  Cunha  "  is  his  name; 
and  he  recites  it,  as  I,  in  my  boyhood's  days,  used 
to  "  say  a  piece  "  while  standing  on  a  chair.  There 
is  no  school  in  the  town.  In  Brazil,  84  per  cent, 
of  the  entire  population  are  illiterate. 

Corumbd  contains  a  few  stores  of  all  descrip- 
tions, but  it  would  seem  that  the  stock  in  trade 
of  the  chemist  is  very  low,  for  I  overheard  a 
conversation  between  two  women  one  day,  who 
said  they  could  not  get  this  or  that — in  fact,  "  he 
only  keeps  cures  for  stabs  and  such  like 
things."  In  the  armazems  liquors  are  sold, 
and  rice,  salt  and  beans  despatched  to  the  cus- 
tomer by  the  pint.  Why  wine  and  milk  are  not 
sold  by  the  pound  I  did  not  enquire. 

One  is  not  to  ask  too  much  in  Brazil,  or 
offence  is  given.  When  seated  at  table  one  day 
with  a  comrade,  who  had  the  misfortune  to 
swallow  a  bone,  I  quietly  "  swallowed "  the 
remedy  a  Brazilian  told  us  of.  He  said  their 
custom  was  for  all  to  turn  away  their  heads, 
while  the  unfortunate  one  revolved  his  plate 
around  three  times  to  the  left,  and  presto!  the 
bone  disappeared.  My  friend  did  not  believe  in 
the  cure;  consequently,  he  suffered  for  several 
days. 

I  have  said  that  dogs  are  numerous.  These 
animals  roam  the  streets  by  day  and  night  in 
packs  and  fight  and  tear  at  anyone  or  anything. 
Some  days  before  we  arrived  there  were  even 

246 


Brazil. 

more,  but  a  few  pounds  of  poison  had  been  scat- 
tered about  the  streets — which,  by  the  way,  are 
the  worst  of  any  town  I  have  ever  entered — and 
the  dog  population  of  the  world  decreased  nine 
hundred.  This  is  the  Corumbd  version.  Per- 
haps the  truth  is,  nine  hundred  feet,  or,  as  we 
count,  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  dogs.  In  the 
interests  of  humanity,  I  hope  the  number  was 
nine  hundred  heads.  Five  carts  then  patrolled 
the  streets  and  carried  away  to  the  outskirts 
those  dead  dogs,  which  were  there  burnt.  I,  the 
writer,  find  the  latter  part  of  the  story  hardest  to 
believe.  Why  should  a  freeborn  Brazilian  lift 
dogs  out  of  the  street?  In  what  better  place 
could  they  be?  They  would  fill  up  the  holes  and 
ruts,  and,  in  such  intense  heat,  why  do  needless 
work? 

Corumbd  is  a  typical  Brazilian  town.  Little 
carts,  drawn  by  a  string  of  goats  or  rams,  thread 
their  way  through  the  streets.  Any  animal  but 
the  human  must  do  the  work.  As  the  majority 
of  the  people  go  barefooted,  the  patriarchal  cus- 
tom prevails  of  having  water  offered  on  entering 
a  house  to  wash  the  feet.  At  all  hours  of  the 
day  men,  women  and  children  seek  to  cool  them- 
selves in  the  river,  which  Is  here  a  mile  wide,  and 
with  a  depth  of  20  feet  in  the  channel.  While  on 
the  subject  of  bathing,  I  might  mention  that  a 
wooden  image  of  the  patron  saint  of  the  town  is, 
with  great  pomp,  brought  down  at  the  head  of  a 
long  procession,  once  every  year,  to  receive  his 
annual  "  duck  "  in  the  water.  This  is  supposed 
to  benefit  him  much.  After  his  immersion,  all 
the  inhabitants,  men,  women  and  children,  make 

247 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

a  rush  to  be  the  first  to  dip  in  the  water. 
The  sick  are  careful  to  see  that  they  are  not  left  in 
the  position  of  the  unfortunate  one  mentioned  in 
the  Gospel  by  John,  who  "had  no  one  to  put  him 
into  the  pool." 

The  following  is  a  literal  translation,  from  the 
Portuguese,  of  a  "notice"  in  a  Rio  Janeiro  news- 
paper : 

FESTIVAL  IN   HONOR  OF  THE   LADY   OF   NAZARETH. 

"The  day  will  be  ushered  in  with  majestic  and 
deafening  fireworks,  and  the  'Hail  Mary'  ren- 
dered by  the  beautiful  band  of  the Infantry 

regiment.  There  will  be  an  intentional  mass, 
grand  vocal  and  instrumental  music,  solemn  ves- 
pers, the  Gospel  preached,  and  ribbons,  which 
have  been  placed  round  the  neck  of  the  image 
of  St.  Broz,  distributed. 

"The  square,  tastefully  decorated  and  pomp- 
ously illuminated,  will  afford  the  devotees,  after 
their  supplications  to  the  Lord  of  the  Universe, 

the  following  means  of  amusement,  the 

Chinese  Pavilion,  etc.,  .     Evening  service 

concluded,  there  will  be  danced  in  the  Flora 
Pavilion  the  fandango  a  pandereta.  In  the  same 
pavilion  a  comic  company  will  act  several  pieces. 
On  Sunday,  upon  the  conclusion  of  the  Te  Deum, 
the  comic  company  will  perform,"  etc. 

The  purely  religious  Feast  Day  no  longer  satis- 
fies the  people.  The  dancing  of  the  Maxixe  or  the 
Argentine  Tango,  or  the  craze  for  moving  pictures 
is  emptying  the  churches. 

248 


Brasiil. 

Corumbk  is  a  strange,  lawless  place,  where 
the  ragged,  barefooted  night  policeman  inspires 
more  terror  in  the  law-abiding  than  the  profes- 
sional prowler.  The  former  has  a  sharp  sword, 
which  glitters  as  he  threatens,  and  the  latter  has 
often  a  kind  heart,  and  only  asks  "  mil  reis " 
(about  thirty  cents). 

How  can  a  town  be  governed  properly  when 
its  capital  is  three  thousand  miles  distant,  and 
the  only  open  route  thither  is,  by  river  and  sea, 
a  month's  journey?  Perhaps  the  day  is  not  far 
distant  when  Cuyabd,  the  most  central  city  of 
South  America,  and  larger  than  Corumbd,  lying 
hundreds  of  miles  further  up  the  river,  will  set 
up  a  head  of  its  own  to  rule,  or  misrule,  the 
province.  Brazil  is  too  big,  much  too  big,  or  the 
Government  is  too  little,  much  too  little. 

The  large  states  are  subdivided  into  districts, 
or  parishes,  each  under  an  ecclesiastical  head,  as 
may  be  inferred  from  the  peculiar  names  many  of 
them  bear.   There  are  the  parishes  of: 
"  Our  Lady,  Mother  of  God  of  Porridge." 
"  The  Three  Hearts  of  Jesus." 
"  Our  Lady  of  the  Kosary  of  the  Pepper  Tree." 
"  The  Souls  of  the  Sand  Bank  of  the  River  of 
Old  Women." 

"The  Holy  Ghost  of  the  Cocoanut  Tree." 
"  Our  Lady  Mother  of  the  Men  of  Mud." 
"  The  Sand  Bank  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 
"  The  Holy  Spirit  of  the  Pitchfork." 
The  Brazilian  army,  very  materially  aided  by 
the  saints,  is  able  to  keep  this  great  country,  with 
its  many  districts,  in  tolerable  quietness.    Saint 
Anthony,   who,  when   young,  was  privileged  to 

249 


Through  Five  Republics  on  HorsebacJc. 

carry  the  toys  of  the  child  Jesus,  is,  in  this 
respect,  of  great  service  to  the  Brazilians.  The 
military  standing  of  Saint  Anthony  in  the  Bra- 
zilian army  is  one  of  considerable  importance 
and  diversified  service.  According  to  a  statement 
of  Deputy  Spinola,  made  on  the  13th  of  June, 
the  eminent  saint's  feast  day,  his  career  in  the 
military  service  of  Brazil  has  been  the  following: 
By  a  royal  letter  of  the  7th  of  April,  1707,  the 
commission  of  captain  was  conferred  upon  the 
image  of  Saint  Anthony,  of  Bahia.  This  image 
was  promoted  to  be  a  major  of  infantry  by  a 
decree  of  September  13th,  1819.  In  July,  1859, 
his  pay  was  placed  upon  the  regular  pay-roll  of 
the  Department  of  War. 

The  image  of  St.  Anthony  in  Rio  de  Janeiro, 
however,  outranks  his  counterpart  of  Bahia,  and 
seems  to  have  had  a  more  brilliant  military 
record.  His  commission  as  captain  dates  from 
a  royal  letter  of  March  21st,  1711.  He  was  pro- 
moted to  be  major  of  infantry  in  July,  1810,  and 
to  be  lieutenant-colonel  in  1814.  He  was  decor- 
ated with  the  Grand  Cross  of  the  Order  of  Christ 
also,  in  1814,  and  his  pay  as  lieutenant-colonel 
was  made  a  permanent  charge  on  the  military 
list  in  1833. 

The  image  of  St.  Anthony  of  Ouro  Preto 
attained  the  rank  and  pay  of  captain  in  1799. 
His  career  has  been  an  uneventful  one,  and  has 
been  confined  principally  to  the  not  unpleasant 
task  of  drawing  $480  a  month  from  the  public 

250 


Braisil. 

treasury.  The  salaries  of  all  these  soldiery 
images  are  drawn  by  duly  constituted  attorneys.* 

Owing  to  bubonic  plague,  my  stay  in  Corumbd 
was  prolonged.  I  have  been  in  the  city  of  Bahia 
when  an  average  of  200  died  every  day  from  this 
terrible  disease,  so  Brazil  is  beginning  to  be  more 
careful. 

Though  steamers  were  not  running,  perspira- 
tion was.  Oh,  the  heat !  In  my  excursions  in  and 
around  the  town  I  found  that  even  the  mule  I 
had  hired,  acclimatized  as  it  was  to  heat  and 
thirst  and  hunger,  began  to  show  signs  of  fatigue. 
Can  man  or  beast  be  expected  to  work  when  the 
temperature  stands  at  130  degrees  Fahrenheit  in 
the  shade? 

As  the  natives  find  bullocks  bear  the  heat  better 
than  mules,  I  procured  one  of  these  saddle 
animals,  but  it  could  only  travel  at  a  snail's  pace. 
I  was  indeed  thankful  to  quit  the  oven  of  a  town 
when  at  last  quarantine  was  raised  and  a  Bra- 
zilian steamboat  called. 

Rats  were  so  exceedingly  numerous  on  this 
packet  that  they  would  scamper  over  our  bodies 
at  night.  So  bold  were  they  that  we  were  com- 
pelled to  take  a  cudgel  into  our  berths!  A 
Brazilian  passenger  declared  one  morning  that 
he  had  counted  three  hundred  rats  on  the  cabin 
floor  at  one  time!  I  have  already  referred  to 
Brazilian  numbering;  perhaps  he  meant  three 
hundred  feet,  or  seventy-five  rats. 

With  the  heat  and  the  rats,  supplemented  by 
millions  of  mosquitos,  my  Corumbd  journey  was 
not  exactly  a  picnic. 

•Rio  News. 

251 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

In  due  time  we  arrived  again  at  Puerto  Mar- 
tinho,  only  to  hear  that  our  former  fellow- 
passenger,  the  assassin,  had  regained  his  freedom 
and  could  be  seen  walking  about  the  town.  But 
then — well,  he  was  rich,  and  money  does  all  in 
Brazil.  Very  strange  indeed  is  the  thought  that, 
three  hundred  years  before  the  caravels  of  Portu- 
guese conquerors  ever  sailed  these  waters,  the  law 
of  the  Indian  ruler  of  that  very  part  of  the 
country  read:  "Judges  who  receive  bribes  from 
their  clients  are  to  be  considered  as  thieves  merit- 
ing death."  And  a  clause  in  the  Sacred  Book 
read:  "He  who  kills  another  condemns  his  own 
self."  Has  the  interior  of  South  America  gone 
forward  or  backward  since  then  ? 

When  we  got  down  into  Argentine  waters  I 
began  to  feel  cold,  and  donned  an  overcoat. 
Thinking  it  strange  that  I  should  feel  thus  in 
the  latitude  which  had  in  former  times  been  so 
agreeable,  I  investigated,  and  found  the  ther- 
mometer 85  degrees  Fah.  in  the  shade.  After 
Corumba  that  was  cold. 


252 


PART    V. 


URUGUAY 


THE  LONE  TRAIL. 

And  sometimes  it  leads  to  the  desert  and  the  tongue  swells 

out  of  the  mouth, 
And  you  stagger  blind  to  the  mirage,  to  die  in  the  mockinig 

drouth. 
And  sometimes  it  leads  to  the  mountain,  to  the  light  of  the 

lone  camp-fire, 
And  you  gnaw  your  belt  in  the  anguish  of  humg&r-.goaded 

desire. 

— Bobert  W.  Service. 


253 


URUGUAY 


The  Republic  of  Uruguay  has  72,210  square 
miles  of  territory,  and  is  the  smallest  of  the  t^n 
countries  of  South  America.  Its  population  is 
only  1,103,000,  but  the  Liebig  Company,  "  which 
manufactures  beef  tea  for  the  world,  owns  nearly 
a  million  acres  of  land  in  Uruguay.  On  its 
enormous  ranches  over  6,000,000  head  of  cattle 
have  passed  through  its  hands  in  the  fifty  years 
of  its  existence."* 

The  republic  seems  well  governed,  but,  as  in 
all  Spanish-American  countries,  the  ideas  of 
right  and  wrong  are  strange.  While  taking  part 
in  a  religious  procession.  President  Borda  was 
assassinated  in  1897.  A  man  was  seen  to  delib- 
erately walk  up  and  shoot  him.  The  Chief 
Executive  fell  mortally  wounded.  This  cool 
murderer  was  condemned  to  two  years'  imprison- 
ment for  insulting  the  President. 

In  1900,  President  Arredondo  was  assassinated, 
but  the  murderer  was  acquitted  on  the  ground 
that  "he  was  interpreting  the  feelings  of  the 
people." 

Uruguay  is  a  progressive  republic,  with  more 
than  a  thousand  miles  of  railway.  On  these  lines 
the  coaches  are  very  palatial.  The  larger  part  of 
the  coach,  made  to  seat  fifty-two  passengers,  is 
for  smokers,  the  smaller  compartment,  accommo- 
dating sixteen,  is  for  non-smokers,  thus  reversing 
our  own  practice.  Outside  the  harbor  of  the 
capital  a  gi-eat  sea-wall  is  being  erected,  at  tre- 

•Clarlt     "  Continent  of  Opportunity." 

254 


Urugua^j 

mendous  cost,  to  facilitate  shipping,  and 
Uruguay  is  certainly  a  country  with  a  great 
future. 

The  capital  city  occupies  a  commanding  posi- 
tion at  the  mouth  of  the  great  estuary  of  the  Eio 
de  la  Plata;  its  docks  are  large  and  modern,  and 
palatial  steamers  of  the  very  finest  types  bring 
it  in  daily  communication  with  Buenos  Ayres. 
The  Legislative  Palace  is  one  of  the  finest  govern- 
ment buildings  in  the  world.  The  great  Solis 
Theatre,  where  Patti  and  Bernhardt  have  both 
appeared,  covers  nearly  two  acres  of  ground, 
seats  three  thousand  people,  and  cost  three  mil- 
lion dollars  to  build.  The  sanitary  conditions 
and  water  supply  are  so  perfect  that  fewer  people 
die  in  this  city,  in  proportion  to  its  size,  than  in 
any  other  large  city  of  the  world. 

The  Parliament  of  Uruguay  has  recently  voted 
that  all  privileges  hitherto  granted  to  particular 
religious  bodies  shall  be  abrogated,  that  the  army 
shall  not  take  part  in  religious  ceremonies,  that 
army  chaplains  shall  be  dismissed,  that  the 
national  flag  shall  not  be  lowered  before  any 
priest  or  religious  symbol.  South  Americans  are 
rapidly  going  into  infidelity. 

The  climate  of  the  country  is  such  that  grapes, 
apricots,  peaches,  and  many  other  fruits  grow 
to  perfection.  Its  currency  is  on  a  more  stable 
basis  than  that  of  any  other  Spanish  republic, 
and  its  dollar  is  actually  worth  102  cents.  The 
immigrants  pouring  into  Uruguay  have  run  up 
to  over  20,000  a  year;  the  population  has  in- 
creased more  than  100  per  cent,  in  12  years;  so 
we  shall  hear  from  Uruguay  in  coming  years 
more  than  we  have  done  in  the  past. 

255 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

SKETCHES    OF    A     HORSEBACK    RIDE 
THROUGH  THE  REPUBLIC. 

I  Cross  the  Silver  River. 

I  LEFT  Buenos  Ayres  for  Uruguay  in  an 
Italian  polacca.  We  weighed  anchor  one  Sunday 
afternoon,  and  as  the  breeze  was  favorable, 
the  white  sails,  held  up  by  strong  ropes  of  raw- 
hide, soon  wafted  us  away  from  the  land.  We 
sailed  through  a  fleet  of  ships  from  all  parts  of 
the  world,  anchored  in  the  stream,  discharging 
and  loading  cargoes.  There,  just  arrived,  was  an 
Italian  emigrant  ship  with  a  thousand  people  on 
board,  who  had  come  to  start  life  afresh.  There 
was  the  large  British  steamer,  with  her  clattering 
windlass,  hoisting  on  board  live  bullocks  from 
barges  moored  alongside.  The  animals  are  raised 
up  by  means  of  a  strong  rope  tied  around  their 
horns,  and  as  the  ship  rocks  on  the  swell  they 
dangle  in  mid-air.  When  a  favorable  moment 
arrives  they  are  quickly  dropped  on  to  the  deck, 
completely  stupefied  by  their  aerial  flight. 

As  darkness  fell,  the  wind  dropped,  and  we 
lay  rocking  on  the  bosom  of  the  river,  with  only 
the  twinkling  lights  of  the  Argentine  coast  to 
remind  us  of  the  solid  world.  The  shoreless 
river  was,  however,  populous  with  craft  of  all 
rigs,  for  this  is  the  highway  to  the  great  interior, 
and  some  of  them  were  bound  to  Cuyab^,  2,600 

256 


Uruguay. 

miles  in  the  heart  of  the  continent.  During  the 
night  a  ship  on  fire  in  the  offing  lit  up  with  great 
vividness  the  silent  waste  of  waters,  and  as  the 
flames  leaped  up  the  rigging,  the  sight  was  very 
grand.  Owing  to  calms  and  light  winds,  our 
passage  was  a  slow  one,  and  I  was  not  sorry 
when  at  last  I  could  say  good-bye  to  the  Italians 
and  their  oily  food.  Three  nights  and  two  days 
is  a  long  time  to  spend  in  crossing  a  river. 

Montevideo. 

Montevideo,  the  capital  of  Uruguay,  is  "one 
of  the  handsomest  cities  in  all  America,  north  or 
south."  Its  population  Ib  over  350,000.  It  is  one 
of  the  cleanest  and  best  laid-out  cities  on  the  con- 
tinent; it  has  broad,  airy  streets  and  a  general 
look  of  prosperity.  What  impresses  the  new- 
comer most  is  the  military  display  everywhere 
seen.  Sentry  boxes,  in  front  of  which  dark- 
skinned  soldiers  strut,  seem  to  be  at  almost  every 
corner.  Although  Uruguay  has  a  standing  army 
of  under  3,500  men,  yet  gold-braided  officers  are 
to  be  met  with  on  every  street.  There  are  twenty- 
one  generals  on  active  service,  and  many  more 
living  on  pension.  More  important  personages 
than  these  men  assume  to  be  could  not  be  met 
with  in  any  part  of  the  world. 

The  armies  of  most  of  these  republics  are 
divided  into  sections  bearing  such  high  sounding 
titles  as  ''Division  of  the  Son  of  God," 
"Division  of  the  Good  Shepherd,"  "Division  of 
the  Holy  Lancers  of  Death"  and  "Soldiers  of 
the  Blessed  Heart  of  Mary."     These  are  often 

257 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

placed  under  the  sceptre  of  the  Sacred  Heart 
of  Jesus  as  the  national  emblem. 

Boys  of  seven  and  old  men  of  seventy  stand  on 
the  sidewalks  selling  lottery  tickets;  and  the 
priest,  with  black  beaver  hat,  the  brim  of  which 
has  a  diameter  of  two  feet,  is  always  to  be  seen. 

The  cemetery  is  one  of  the  finest  on  the  con- 
tinent, and  is  well  worth  a  visit.  Very  few  of 
Montevideo's  dead  are  bwied.  The  coffins  of  the 
rich  are  zinc-lined,  and  provided  with  a  glass  in 
the  lid.  All  caskets  are  placed  in  niches  in  the 
high  wall  which  surrounds  the  cemetery.  These 
mural  niches  are  six  or  eight  feet  deep  in  the  wall, 
and  each  one  has  a  marble  tablet  for  the  name 
of  the  deposited  one.  By  means  of  a  large  port- 
able ladder  and  elevator  combined,  the  coffins  are 
raised  from  the  ground.  At  anniversaries  of 
the  death  the  tomb  is  filled  with  flowers,  and 
candles  are  lit  inside,  while  a  wreath  is  hung  on 
the  door.  A  favorite  custom  is  to  attend  mass 
on  Sunday  morning,  then  visit  the  cemetery,  and 
spend  the  afternoon  at  the  bull-fights. 

In  the  evening  the  theatres  and  picture  houses 
are  crowded.  Evening  dresses  and  silk  hats  are 
perhaps  more  numerous  than  in  Paris  and  taxis 
fly  to  and  fro,  taking  lovers  to  party  and  ball. 

Native  Houses  and  Habits. 

Uruguay  is  essentially  a  pastoral  country,  and 
the  finest  animals  of  South  America  are  there 
raised.  It  is  said  that  "Uruguay's  pasture  lands 
could  feed  all  the  cattle  of  the  world,  and  sheep 
grow  fat  at  50  to  the  acre."     In  1889,  when  I 

258 


Uruguay. 

first  went  there,  there  were  thirty-two  millioDS 
of  horned  cattle  grazing  on  a  thousand  hills. 
Liebig's  famous  establishments  at  Fray  Bentos, 
two  hundred  miles  north  of  Montevideo,  employs 
six  hundred  men,  and  kills  one  thousand  bul- 
locks a  day. 

Uruguay  has  some  good  roads,  and  the  land 
is  wire-fenced  in  all  directions.  The  rivers  are 
crossed  on  large  flat-bottomed  boats  called  halsas. 
These  are  warped  across  by  a  chain,  and  carry 
as  many  as  ten  men  and  horses  in  one  trip.  The 
roads  are  In  many  places  thickly  strewn  with 
bones  of  dead  animals,  dropped  by  the  way,  and 
these  are  picked  clean  by  the  vultures.  No 
sooner  does  an  animal  lie  down  to  die  than, 
streaming  out  of  the  infinite  space,  which  a 
moment  before  has  been  a  lifeless  world  of  blue 
ether,  there  come  lines  of  vultures,  and  soon 
white  bones  are  all  that  are  left. 

On  the  fence-posts  one  sees  many  nests  of  the 
casera  (housebuilder)  bird,  made  of  mud.  These 
have  a  dome-shaped  roof,  and  are  divided  by  a 
partition  inside  into  chamber  and  ante-chamber. 
By  the  roadside  are  hovels  of  the  natives  not  a 
twentieth  part  so  well-built  or  rain-tight.  Fleas 
are  so  numerous  in  these  huts  that  sometimes, 
after  spending  a  night  in  one,  it  would  have  been 
impossible  to  place  a  five-cent  piece  on  any  part 
of  my  body  that  had  not  been  bitten  by  them. 
Scorpions  come  out  of  the  wood  they  burn  on  the 
earthen  floor,  and  monster  cockroaches  nibble 
your  toes  at  night.  The  thick,  hot  grass  roofs 
of  the  ranches  harbor  centipedes,  which  drop 
on  your  face  as  you  sleep,  and  bite  alarmingly. 

259 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

These  many-legged  creatures  grow  to  the  length 
of  eight  or  nine  inches,  and  run  to  and  fro  with 
great  speed.  Well  might  the  little  girl,  on  seeing 
a  centipede  for  the  first  time,  ask:  "What  is 
that  queer-looking  thing,  with  about  a  million 
legs?"  Johnny  wisely  replied:  "That's  a  mil- 
lennium. It's  something  like  a  centennial,  only 
it  has  more  legs." 

After  vain  attempts  to  sleep,  you  rise,  and 
may  see  the  good  wife  cleaning  her  only  plate 
for  you  by  rubbing  it  on  her  greasy  hair  and 
wiping  it  with  the  bottom  of  her  chemise.  Ugh ! 
Proceeding  on  the  journey,  it  is  a  common  sight 
to  see  three  or  four  little  birds  sitting  on  the 
backs  of  the  horned  cattle  getting  their  break- 
fast, which  I  hope  they  relish  better  than  I  often 
did. 

The  animals  do  not  seem  to  object  to  the  birds' 
presence.  Probably  they  are  only  too  glad  to  get 
rid  of  the  multitudinous  insect  life  which  clings 
to  them. 

The  Snake's  History. 

I  met  with  a  snake,  of  a  whitish  color,  that 
appeared  to  have  tivo  heads.  Never  being  able 
to  closely  examine  this  strange  reptile,  I  cannot 
positively  affirm  that  it  possesses  the  two  heads, 
but  the  natives  repeatedly  affirmed  to  me  that  it 
does,  and  certainly  both  ends  are,  or  seem  to  be, 
exactly  alike.  In  the  Book  of  Genesis  the  serpent 
is  described  as  "a  beast,"  but  for  its  temptation 
of  Eve  it  was  condemned  to  crawl  on  its  belly  and 
become  a  reptile.  A  strange  belief  obtains  among 
the  people  that  all  serpents  must  not  only  be 

260 


Uruguay. 

killed,  but  put  into  a  fire.  If  there  is  none  lit, 
they  will  kindle  one  on  purpose,  for  it  must  be 
burned.  As  the  outer  skin  comes  off,  it  is  de- 
clared, the  four  legs,  now  under  it,  can  be  dis- 
tinctly seen. 

A  GiRL^s  New  Bieth  and  Translation. 

At  Kincon  I  held  a  series  of  meetings  in  a  mud 
hut.  Men  and  women,  with  numerous  children, 
used  to  gather  on  horseback  an  hour  before  the 
time  for  opening.  A  little  girl  always  brought 
her  three-legged  stool  and  squatted  in  front  of 
me.  The  rest  appropriated  tree-trunks  and  bul- 
locks' skulls.  The  girl  referred  to  listened  to  the 
Gospel  story  as  though  her  life  depended  upon 
it,  as  indeed  it  did !  When  at  Rincon  only  a  short 
time,  the  child  desired  me  to  teach  her  how  to 
pray,  and  she  clasped  her  hands  reverently. 
"Would  Jesus  save  me?"  she  asked.  "Did  He 
die  for  me — me?  Will  He  save  me  now?"  The 
girl  believed,  and  entered  at  once  into  the  family 
of  God. 

One  day  a  man  on  horseback,  tears  streaming 
down  his  cheeks,  galloped  up  to  my  hut.  It  was 
her  father.  His  girl  was  dead.  She  had  gone 
into  the  forest,  a«d,  feeling  hungry,  had  eaten 
some  berries;  they  were  poisonous,  and  she  had 
come  home  to  die.  Would  I  bury  her?  Shortly 
afterwards  I  rode  over  to  the  hovei  where  she 
had  lived.  Awaiting  me  were  the  broken-hearted 
parents.  A  grocery  box  had  been  secured,  and 
this  rude  coffin  was  covered  with  pink  cotton. 
Four  horses  were  yoked  in  a  two-wheeled  cart, 

261 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

the  parents  sat  on  the  casket,  and  I  followed  on 
horseback  to  the  nearest  cemetery,  sixteen  miles 
away.  There,  in  a  little  enclosure,  we  lowered 
the  girl  into  her  last  earthly  resting-place,  in  the 
sure  and  certain  hope  of  a  glorious  resurrection. 
She  had  lived  in  a  house  where  a  cow's  hide 
served  for  a  door,  but  she  had  now  entered  the 
"  pearly  gates."  The  floor  of  her  late  home  was 
mother  earth;  what  a  change  to  be  walking  the 
"  streets  of  gold !  "  Some  day,  "  after  life's  fitful 
fever,"  I  shall  meet  her  again,  not  a  poor,  ragged 
half-breed  girl,  but  glorified,  and  clothed  in  His 
righteousness. 

How  I  Did  Not  Lose  My  Eye^. 

One  day  I  was  crossing  a  river,  kneeling  on  my 
horse's  back,  when  he  gave  a  lurch  and  threw  me 
into  the  water.  Gaining  the  bank,  and  being 
quite  alone,  I  stripped  off  my  wet  clothes  and 
waited  for  the  sun  to  dry  them.  The  day  was 
hot  and  sultry,  and,  feeling  tired,  I  covered 
myself  up  with  the  long  grass  and  went  to  sleep. 
How  long  I  lay  I  cannot  tell,  but  suddenly  wak- 
ing up,  I  found  to  my  alarm  that  several  large 
vultures,  having  thought  me  dead,  were  contem- 
plating me  as  their  next  meal!  Had  my  sleep 
continued  a  few  moments  longer,  the  rapacious 
birds  would  have  picked  my  eyes  out,  as  they 
invariably  do  before  tearing  up  their  victim.  All 
over  the  country  these  birds  abound,  and  I  have 
counted  thirty  and  forty  tearing  up  a  living, 
quivering  animal.  Sometimes,  for  mercy's  sake, 
I  have  alighted  and  put  the  suffering  beasit  out 

262 


Uruguay. 

of  further  pain.  Before  I  got  away  they  have 
been  fighting  over  it  again  in  their  haste  to  suck 
the  heart's  blood. 

A  Bachbloe  Babbit. 

_  The  pest  of  Australia  is  the  rabbit,  but, 
strange  to  say,  I  never  found  one  in  South 
America.  In  their  place  is  the  equally  destruc- 
tive viscacha  or  prairie  dog — a  much  larger 
animal,  probably  three  or  four  times  the  size, 
having  very  low,  broad  head,  little  ears,  and 
thick,  bristling  whiskers.  His  coat  is  gray  and 
white,  with  a  mixture  of  black.  To  all  appear- 
ance this  is  a  ferocious  beast,  with  his  two  front 
tusk-like  teeth,  about  four  inches  long,  but  he  is 
perfectly  harmless.  The  viscacha  makes  his 
home,  like  the  rabbit,  by  burrowing  in  the 
ground,  where  he  remains  during  daylight.  The 
faculty  of  acquisition  in  these  animals  must  be 
large,  for  in  their  nightly  trips  they  gather  and 
bring  to  the  mouth  of  their  burrow  anything  and 
everything  they  can  possibly  move.  Bones, 
manure,  stones  and  feathers  are  here  collected, 
and  if  the  traveller  accidentally  dropped  his 
watch,  knife  or  handkerchief,  it  would  be  found 
and  carried  to  adorn  the  viscacha's  doorway,  if 
those  animals  were  anywhere  near. 

The  lady  reader  will  be  shocked  to  learn  that 
the  head  of  the  viscacha  family,  probably  copy- 
ing a  bad  example  from  the  ostrich,  his  neighbor, 
is  also  very  unamiable  with  his  "better  half," 
and  inhabits  bachelor's  quarters,  which  he  keeps 
all  to  himself,  away  from  his  family.   The  food 

263 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

of  this  strange  dog-rabbit  is  roots,  and  his  power- 
ful teeth  are  well  fitted  to  root  them  up.  At  the 
mouth  of  their  burrows  may  often  be  seen  little 
owls,  which  have  ejected  the  original  owners  and 
themselves  taken  possession.    They  have  a  strik- 
ingly saucy  look,  and  possess  the  advantage  of 
being  able  to  turn  their  heads  right  around  while 
the  body  remains  immovable.     Being  of  an  in- 
quisitive nature,  they  stare  at  every  passer-by, 
and  if  the  traveller  quietly  walks  around  them  he 
will  smile  at  the  grotesque  power  they  have  of 
turning  their  head.  When  a  young  horse  is  espe- 
cially slow  in  learning  the  use  of  the  reins,  I  have 
known  the  cowboy  smear  the  bridle  with  the 
brains  of  this  clever  bird,  that  the  owl's  facility 
in  turning  might  thus  be  imparted  to  it. 

Another  peculiar  animal  is  the  comadreka, 
which  resembles  the  kangaroo  in  that  it  is  pro- 
vided with  a  bag  or  pouch  in  which  to  carry  its 
young  ones.  I  have  surprised  these  little  animals 
(for  they  are  only  of  rabbit  size)  with  their 
young  playing  around  them,  and  have  seen  the 
mother  gather  them  into  her  pouch  and  scamper 
away. 

Drinking  Water,  a  Cat  and  a  Rat. 

In  Uruguay  it  is  the  custom  for  all,  on  ap- 
proaching a  house,  to  call  out,  "Holy  Mary  the 
Pure!"  and  until  the  inmate  answers:  "Con- 
ceived without  sin!"  not  a  step  farther  must  be 
made  by  the  visitor.  At  a  hut  where  I  called 
there  was  a  baby  hanging  from  the  wattle  roof 
in  a  cow's  hide,  and  flies  covered  the  little  one's 

264 


Uruguay. 

eyes.  On  going  to  the  well  for  a  drink  I  saw- 
that  there  was  a  cat  and  a  rat  in  the  water,  but 
the  people  were  drinking  it!  When  smallpox 
breaks  out  because  of  such  unsanitary  conditions, 
I  have  known  them  to  carry  around  the  image  of 
St.  Sebastian,  that  its  healing  presence  might 
chase  away  the  sickness.  The  dress  of  the  Virgin 
is  often  borrowed  from  the  church,  and  worn  by 
the  women,  that  they  may  profit  by  its  healing 
virtues.  A  crucifix  hung  in  the  house  keeps  away 
evil  spirits. 

The  people  were  very  credulous,  and  no  rain 
having  fallen  for  five  months,  had  concluded  to 
carry  around  a  large  image  of  the  Virgin  they 
had,  and  show  her  the  dry  crops.  I  rode  on,  but 
did  not  get  wet! 

No  Need  of  the  Doctor  or  Vet. 

"  A  poor  girl  got  very  severely  burnt,  and  the 
remedy  applied  was  a  poultice  of  mashed  ears  of 
viscacha.  The  burn  did  not  heal,  and  so  a  poul- 
tice of  pig's  dung  was  put  on.  When  we  went 
to  visit  the  girl,  the  people  said  it  was  because 
they  had  come  to  our  meetings  that  the  girl  did 
not  get  better.  A  liberal  cleansing,  followed  by 
the  use  of  boracic  acid,  has  healed  the  wound. 
Another  case  came  under  our  notice  of  a  woman 
who  suffered  from  a  gathering  in  the  ear,  and  the 
remedy  applied  was  a  negro's  curl  fried  in  fat.'' 

To  cure  animals  of  disease  there  are  manj 
ways.  Mrs.  Nieve  boasted  that,  by  just  saying  a 
few  cabalistic  words  over  a  sick  cow,  she  could 
heal  it.    A  charm  put  on  the  top  of  the  enclosure 

265 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horsehach. 

where  the  animals  are  herded  will  keep  away 
sicliness.  To  cure  a  bucking  horse  all  that  is 
necessary  is  to  pull  out  its  eyebrows  and  spit  in 
its  face.  Let  a  lame  horse  step  on  a  sheepskin, 
cut  out  the  piece,  and  carry  it  in  your  pocket ;  if 
this  can't  be  done,  make  a  cross  with  tufts  of 
grass,  and  the  leg  will  heal.  For  ordinary  sick- 
ness tie  a  dog's  head  around  the  horse's  neck. 
If  a  horse  has  pains  in  the  stomach,  let  him  smell 
your  shirt. 

A  Race  foe  Information. 

Uruguay  is  said  to  have  averaged  a  revolution 
every  two  years  for  nearly  a  century,  so  in  times 
of  revolutionary  disturbance  the  younger  chil- 
dren are  often  set  to  watch  the  roads  and  give 
timely  warning,  that  the  father  or  elder  brother 
may  eif  ect  an  escape.  The  said  persons  may  then 
mount  their  fleetest  horse  and  be  out  of  sight  ere 
the  recruiting  sergeant  arrives.  Being  one  day 
perplexed,  and  in  doubt  whether  I  was  on  my 
right  road,  I  made  towards  a  boy  I  had  descried 
some  distance  away,  to  ask  him.  No  sooner  did 
jthe  youth  catch  sight  of  me  than  he  set  off  at  a 
long  gallop  away  from  me;  why,  I  could  not  tell, 
as  they  are  generally  so  interested  at  the  sight  of 
a  stranger.  Determined  not  to  be  outdone,  and 
feeling  sure  that  without  directions  I  could  not 
safely  continue  the  journey,  I  put  spurs  to  my 
horse  and  tried  to  overtake  him.  As  I  quickened 
my  pace  he  looked  back,  and,  seeing  me  gain 
upon  him,  urged  his  horse  to  its  utmost  speed. 

266 


Uruguay. 

Down  hill  and  up  hill,  through  grass  and  mud 
and  water,  the  race  continued.  A  sheepskin  fell 
from  his  saddle,  but  he  heeded  it  not  as  he  went 
plunging  forward.  Human  beings  in  those  lati- 
tudes were  very  few,  and  if  I  did  not  catch  him  I 
might  be  totally  lost  for  days ;  so  I  went  clatter- 
ing on  over  his  sheepskin,  and  then  over  his 
wooden  saddle,  the  fall  of  which  only  made  his 
horse  give  a  fresh  plunge  forward  as  he  lay  on 
its  neck.  Thus  we  raced  for  at  least  three  miles, 
until,  tired  out  and  breathless,  I  gave  up  in 
despair. 

Concluding  that  my  fleet-footed  but  unamiable 
young  friend  had  undoubtedly  some  place  in 
view,  I  continued  in  the  same  direction,  but  at  a 
more  respectable  pace.  Shortly  afterwards  I  ar- 
rived at  a  very  small  hut,  built  of  woven  grass 
and  reeds,  which  I  presumed  was  his  home. 
Making  for  the  open  door,  I  clapped  my  hands, 
but  received  no  answer.  The  hut  was  certainly 
inhabited — of  that  I  saw  abundant  signs — but 
where  were  the  people?  I  dare  not  get  down 
from  my  horse ;  that  is  an  insult  no  native  would 
forgive;  so  I  slowly  walked  around  the  house, 
clapping  my  hands  and  shouting  at  the  top  of 
my  voice.  Just  as  I  was  making  the  circuit  for 
the  third  time,  I  descried  another  and  a  larger 
house,  hidden  in  the  trees  some  distance  away, 
and  thither  I  forthwith  bent  my  steps.  There  I 
learned  that  I  had  been  taken  for  a  recruiting 
sergeant,  and  the  inhabitants  had  hidden  them- 
selves when  the  boy  galloped  up  with  the  message 
of  my  approach. 

267 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback, 
I  Find  Diamonds. 

"  For  one  shall  grasp  and  one  resign, 
One  drink  life's  rue,  and  one  its  wine; 
And  God  shall  make  the  balance  good." 

Encamped  on  the  banks  of  the  Black  River, 
idly  turning  up  the  soil  with  the  stock  of  my 
riding-whip,  I  was  startled  to  find  what  I  be- 
lieved to  be  real  diamonds!  Beautifully  white, 
transparent  stones  they  were,  and,  rising  to  ex- 
amine them  closely  in  the  sunlight,  I  was  more 
than  ever  convinced  of  the  richness  of  my  find. 
Was  it  possible  that  I  had  unwittingly  discovered 
a  diamond  field?  Could  it  be  true  that,  after 
years  of  hardship,  I  had  found  a  fortune?  I  was 
a  rich  man — oh,  the  enchanting  thought!  No 
need  now  to  toil  through  scorching  suns.  I  could 
live  at  ease.  As  I  sat  with  the  stones  glistening 
in  the  light  before  my  eyes,  my  brain  grew 
fevered.  Leaving  my  hat  and  coat  on  the  ground, 
I  ran  towards  my  horse,  and,  vaulting  on  his 
bare  back,  wildly  galloped  to  and  fro,  that  the 
breezes  might  cool  my  fevered  head.  Rich?  Oh, 
how  I  had  worked  and  striven !  Life  had  hitherto 
been  a  hard  fight.  When  I  had  gathered  together 
a  few  dollars,  I  had  been  prostrated  with 
malarial  or  some  other  fever,  and  they  had  flown. 
After  two  or  three  months  of  enforced  idleness  I 
had  had  to  start  the  battle  of  life  afresh  with 
diminished  funds.  Now  the  past  was  dead;  I 
could  rest  from  strife.  Rest!  How  sweet  it 
sounded  as  I  repeated  aloud  the  precious  word, 
and  the  distant  echoes  brought  back  the  word, 
Best! 

268 


Uruguay. 

I  was  awakened  from  my  day  dreams  by  being 
thrown  from  my  horse !  Hope  for  the  future  had 
so  taken  possession  of  me  that  the  present  was 
forgotten.  I  had  not  seen  the  caves  of  the  prairie 
dog,  but  my  horse  had  given  a  sudden  start  aside 
to  avoid  them,  and  I  found  myself  licking  the 
dust.  Bather  a  humiliating  position  for  a  man 
to  be  in  who  had  just  found  unlimited  wealth; 
Somewhat  subdued,  I  made  my  way  back  to  my 
solitary  encampment. 

Well,  how  shall  I  conclude  this  short  but 
pregnant  chapter  of  my  life?  Suffice  it  to  say 
that  my  idol  was  shattered!  The  stones  were 
found  to  be  of  little  worth. 

"  The  flower  that  smiles  to-day, 
To-morrow  dies; 
All  that  w€  wish  to  stay 
Tempts,  and  then  flies." 

A  Man  With  Two  Noses  and  Two  Mouths. 

I  was  lost  one  day,  and  had  been  sitting  in  the 
grass  for  an  hour  or  more  wondering  what  I 
should  do,  when  the  sound  of  galloping  hoofs 
broke  the  silence.  On  looking  around,  to  my 
horror,  I  saw  a  something  seated  on  a  fiery  horse 
tearing  towards  me!  What  could  it  be?  Was  it 
human?  Could  the  strange-looking  being  who 
suddenly  reined  up  his  horse  before  me  be  a  man  ? 
A  man  surely,  but  possessing  two  noses,  two 
mouths,  and  two  hare-lips.  A  hideous  sight!  I 
shuddered  as  I  looked  at  him.  His  left  eye  was 
in  the  temple,  and  he  turned  it  full  upon  me, 
while  with  the  other  he  seemed  to  glance  toward 

269 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horsehack. 

the  knife  in  his  belt.  When  he  rode  up  I  had 
saluted  him,  but  he  did  not  return  the  recogni- 
tion. Feeling  sure  that  the  country  must  be  well 
known  to  him,  I  offered  to  reward  him  if  he 
would  act  as  my  guide.  The  man  kept  his  gleam- 
ing eye  fixed  upon  me,  but  answered  not  a  word. 
Beginning  to  look  at  the  matter  in  rather  a 
serious  light,  I  mounted  my  horse,  when  he 
grunted  at  me  in  an  unintelligible  way,  which 
showed  me  plainly  that  he  was  without  the  power 
of  speech.  He  turned  in  the  direction  I  had 
asked  him  to  take,  and  we  started  off  at  a  break- 
neck speed,  which  his  fiery  horse  kept  up.  I 
cannot  say  he  followed  his  nose,  or  the  reader 
might  ask  me  which  nose,  but  he  led  me  in  a 
straight  line  to  an  eminence,  from  whence  he 
pointed  out  the  estancia  I  was  seeking.  The 
house  w^as  still  distant,  yet  I  was  not  sorry  to 
part  with  my  strange  guide,  who  seemed  disin- 
clined to  conduct  me  further.  I  gave  him  his 
fee,  and  he  grunted  his  thanks  and  left  me  to 
pursue  my  journey  more  leisurely.  A  hut  I 
came  to  had  been  struck  by  lightning,  and  a 
woman  and  her  child  had  been  buried  in  the 
debris.  Inquiring  the  particulars,  I  was  in- 
formed that  the  woman  was  herself  to  blame  for 
the  disaster.  The  saints,  they  told  me,  have  a 
particular  aversion  to  the  omhu  tree,  and  this 
daring  Eve  had  built  her  house  near  one.  The 
saints  had  taken  spite  at  this  act  of  bravado,  and 
destroyed  both  mother  and  daughter. 

270 


XJruguwy. 
A  Fleet-Footbd  Deeb. 

One  day  an  old  man  seriously  informed  me  that 
in  those  parts  there  was  a  deer  which  neither  he 
nor  any  other  one  had  been  able  to  catch.  Like 
the  Siamese  twins,  it  was  two  live  specimens  in 
one.  When  I  asked  why  it  was  impossible  to 
catch  the  animal,  he  informed  me  that  it  had 
eight  legs  with  which  to  run.  Four  of  the  legs 
came  out  of  the  back,  and,  when  tired  with  using 
the  four  lower  ones,  it  just  turned  over  and  ran 
with  the  upper  set.  I  did  not  see  this  freak,  so 
add  the  salt  to  your  taste,  O  reader. 

I  Sleep  with  the  Rats. 

Hospitality  is  a  marked  and  beautiful  feature 
of  the  Uruguayan  people.  At  whatever  time  I 
arrived  at  a  house,  although  a  stranger  and  a 
foreigner,  I  was  most  heartily  received  by  the 
inmates.  On  only  one  occasion,  which  I  will  here 
relate,  was  I  grudgingly  accommodated,  and  that 
was  by  a  Brazilian  living  on  the  frontier.  The 
hot  sun  had  ruthlessly  shone  on  me  all  day  as  I 
waded  through  the  long  arrow  grass  that  reached 
up  to  my  saddle.  The  scorching  rays,  pitiless  in 
their  intensity,  seemed  to  take  the  energy  from 
everything  living.  All  animate  creation  was 
paralyzed.  The  relentless  ball  of  fire  in  the 
heavens,  pouring  down  like  molten  brass,  ap- 
peared to  be  trying  to  set  the  world  on  fire;  and 
I  lay  utterly  exhausted  on  my  horse's  neck,  half 
expecting  to  see  all  kindled  in  one  mighty  blaze ! 
I  had  drunk  the  hot,  putrid  water  of  the  hollows, 
which  did  not  seem  to  quench  my  thirst  any,  but 

271 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

perhaps  did  help  to  keep  me  from  drying  up  and 
blowing  away.  My  tongue  was  parched  and  my 
lips  dried  together.  Fortunately,  I  had  a  very 
quiet  horse,  and  when  I  could  no  longer  bear  the 
sun's  burning  rays  I  got  down  for  a  few  moments 
and  crept  under  him. 

Shelter  there  was  none.  The  copious  draughts 
of  evil-smelling  water  I  had  drunk  in  my  raging 
thirst  brought  on  nausea,  and  it  was  only  by 
force  of  will  that  I  kept  myself  from  falling, 
when  on  an  eminence  I  joyfully  sighted  the  Bra- 
zilian estancia.  Hope  then  revived  in  me.  My 
knowing  horse  had  seen  the  house  before  me,  and 
without  any  guidance  made  straight  towards  it 
at  a  quicker  pace.  Well  he  knew  that  houses  in 
those  desolate  wastes  were  too  far  apart  to  be 
passed  unheeded  by,  and  I  thoroughly  concurred 
in  his  wisdom.  As  I  drew  up  before  the  lonely 
place  my  tongue  refused  to  shout  "Ave  Maria," 
but  I  clapped  my  perspiring  hands,  and  soon  had 
the  satisfaction  of  hearing  footsteps  within. 
Visions  of  shade  and  of  meat  and  drink  and  rest 
floated  before  my  eyes  when  I  saw  the  door 
opened.  A  coal-black  face  peeped  out,  which,  in  a 
cracked,  broken  voice,  I  addressed,  asking  the 
privilege  to  dismount.  Horror  of  horrors,  I  had 
not  even  been  answered  ere  the  door  was  shut 
again  in  my  face!  Get  down  without  permission 
I  dare  not.  The  house  was  a  large  edifice,  built 
of  rough,  undressed  stones,  and  had  a  thick,  high 
wall  of  the  same  material  all  around. 

Were  the  inmates  fiends  that  they  let  me  sit 
there,  knowing  well  that  there  was  no  other  habi- 
tation  within   miles?    As   the   minutes   slowly 

272 


Uruguay. 

lengthened  out,  and  the  door  remained  closed,  my 
spirits  sank  lower  and  lower.  After  a  silence  of 
thirty-five  minutes,  the  man  again  made  his  ap- 
pearance, and,  coming  right  out  this  time,  stared 
me  through  and  through.  After  this  close  scru- 
tiny, which  seemed  to  satisfy  him,  but  elicited  no 
response  to  a  further  appeal  from  me,  he  went  to 
an  outlying  building,  and,  bringing  a  strong  hide 
lasso,  tied  it  around  my  horse's  neck.  Not  until 
that  was  securely  fastened  did  he  invite  me  to 
dismount.  Presuming  the  lasso  was  lent  me  to 
tie  out  my  horse,  I  led  him  to  the  back  of  the 
house.  When  I  returned,  my  strange,  unwilling 
host  was  again  gone,  so  I  lay  down  on  a  pile  of 
hides  in  the  shade  of  the  wall,  and,  utterly  tired 
out,  with  visions  of  banquets  floating  before  my 
eyes,  I  dropped  off  to  sleep. 

Perhaps  an  hour  afterwards,  I  awoke  to  find  a 
woman,  black  as  night,  bending  over  me.  Not 
seeing  a  visitor  once  in  three  months,  her 
feminine  curiosity  had  impelled  her  to  come  and 
examine  me.  Seemingly  more  amiable  than  her 
husband,  she  spoke  to  me,  but  in  a  strange,  un- 
musical language,  which  I  could  not  understand; 
and  then  she,  too,  left  me.  As  evening  ap- 
proached, another  inmate  of  the  house  made  his 
appearance.  He  was,  I  could  see,  of  a  different 
race,  and,  to  my  joy,  I  found  that  he  spoke 
fluently  in  Spanish.  Conducting  me  to  the  afore- 
mentioned outhouse,  a  place  built  of  canes  and 
mud,  he  told  me  that  later  on  a  piece  of  meat 
would  be  given  me,  and  that  I  could  sleep  on  the 
sheepskins.  I  got  the  meat,  and  I  slept  on  the 
skins.    Fatigued  as  I  was,  I  passed  a  wretched 

273 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback. 

aight,  for  dozens  of  huge  rats  ran  over  my  body, 
bit  my  hands,  and  scratched  my  face,  the  whole 
night  long.  Morning  at  last  dawned,  and,  with 
the  first  streaks  of  coming  day,  I  saddled  my 
horse,  and,  shaking  the  dust  of  the  Brazilian 
ostancia  off  my  feet,  resumed  my  journey. 

The  Bursting  of  a  Man. 

A  friend  of  mine  came  upon  an  ostrich's  nest. 
The  bird  was  not  near,  so,  dismounting,  he  picked 
up  an  egg  and  placed  it  in  an  inside  pocket  of 
his  coat.  Continuing  the  journey,  the  egg  was 
forgotten,  and  the  horse,  galloping  along,  sud- 
denly tripped  and  fell.  The  rider  was  thrown 
to  the  ground,  where  he  lay  stunned.  Three  hours 
afterwards  consciousness  returned.  As  his  weary 
eyes  wandered,  he  noticed,  with  horror,  that  his 
chest  and  side  were  thickly  besmeared.  With  a 
cry  of  despair,  he  lay  back,  groaning,  "  I  have 
burst ! "  The  presence  of  the  egg  he  had  put  in 
his  pocket  had  quite  passed  from  his  mind ! 

I  Find  a  Lone  Scotsman. 

One  evening  after  a  long  day's  journey,  I 
reached  a  house,  away  near  the  Brazilian  fron- 
tier, and  was  surprised  indeed  to  see  that  the 
owner  was  a  real  live  Scotsman.  Great  was  my 
astonishment  and  pleasure  at  receiving  such  a 
warm  Scotch  welcome.  He  was  eighty  miles 
away  from  any  village — alone  in  the  mountains 
— and  at  the  sight  of  me  he  wept  like  a  child. 
Never  can  I  forget  his  anguish  as  he  told  me 
that  his  beloved  wife  had  dierJ  just  a  few  days 

274 


Uruguay. 

before,  and  that  he  had  buried  her — "  there  in  the 
glen."  At  the  sight  of  a  British  face  he  had  com- 
pletely broken  down;  but,  pulling  himself  to- 
gether, he  conducted  me  through  into  the  court- 
yard, and  the  difficulty  of  my  journey  was 
forgotten  as  we  sat  down  to  the  evening  meal. 
Being  anxious  to  hear  the  story  of  her  who  had 
presided  at  his  board,  I  bade  him  recount  to  me 
the  sad  circumstances. 

She  was  a  "  bonnie  lassie,"  and  he  had  "  lo'ed 
her  muckle."  There  they  had  lived  for  twelve 
years,  shut  out  from  the  rest  of  the  world,  yet 
content.  Hand  in  hand  they  had  toiled  in  joy 
and  sorrow,  when  no  rain  fell  for  eight  long 
months,  and  their  cattle  died;  or  when  increase 
was  good,  and  flocks  and  herds  fat.  Side  by 
side  they  had  stood  alone  in  the  wild  tangle  of 
the  wilderness.  And  now,  when  riches  had  been 
gathered  and  comfort  could  be  had,  his  "  lassie  " 
had  left  him,  and  "  Oh !  he  grudged  her  sair  to 
the  land  o^  the  leal !  "  Being  so  far  removed  from 
his  fellows,  he  had  been  compelled  to  perform  the 
sacred  offices  of  burial  himself.  Surrounded  by 
kind  hearts  and  loving  sympathizers,  it  is  sad  in- 
deed to  lose  our  loved  ones.  But  how  inexpres- 
sibly more  sad  it  is  when,  away  in  loneliness,  a 
man  digs  the  cold  clay  tomb  for  all  that  is  left  of 
his  only  joy!  When  our  dear  ones  sleep  in 
"  God's  acre "  surrounded  by  others  it  is  sad. 
But  how  much  more  heartbreaking  is  it  to  bury 
the  darling  wife  in  the  depths  of  the  mountains 
alone,  where  a  strong  stone  wall  must  be  built 
around  the  grave  to  keep  the  wild  beasts  from 
tearing  out  the  remains!    Only  those  who  have 

275 


Through  Five  Republics  on  Horseback, 

been  so  situated  can  picture  the  solemnity  of  such 
a  scene. 

At  his  urgent  request,  I  promised  I  would 
accompany  him  to  the  spot — sanctified  by  his 
sorrow  and  watered  by  his  tears — where  he  had 
laid  his  dear  one.  Early  the  following  morning 
a  native  servant  saddled  two  horses,  and  we  rode 
in  silence  towards  the  hallowed  ground.  In 
about  thirty  minutes  we  came  in  view  of  the 
quiet  tomb.  Encircling  the  grave  he  had  built  a 
high  stone  wall.  When  he  silently  opened  the 
gate,  I  saw  that,  although  all  the  pasture  outside 
was  dry  and  withered,  that  on  the  mound  was 
beautifully  green  and  fresh.  Had  he  brought 
water  from  his  house,  for  there  was  none  nearer, 
or  was  it  watered  by  his  tears?  His  greatest 
longing  was,  as  he  had  explained  to  me  the  pre- 
vious night,  that  she  should  have  a  Christian 
burial,  and  if  I  would  read  some  chapter  over  her 
grave  he  would  feel  more  content,  he  said.  As 
with  bared  heads  we  reverently  knelt  on  the 
mound,  I  now  complied  with  his  request.  Then, 
for  the  first  time  in  the  world's  history,  the  trees 
that  surrounded  us  listened  to  the  Christian  doc- 
trine of  a  resurrection  from  the  dead.  "  It  is 
sown  in  corruption,  it  is  raised  in  incorruption." 
And  the  leaves  whispered  to  the  mountains 
beyond,  which  gave  back  the  words :  "  It  is  sown 
a  natural  body,  it  is  raised  a  spiritual  body.' 

Never  have  I  seen  a  man  so  broken  with  grief 
as  was  that  lone  Scotsman.  There  were  no  paid 
mourners  or  idle  sightseers.  There  was  no  show 
of  sorrow  while  the  heart  remained  indifferent 

27G 


Uruguay. 

and  untouched.    It  was  the  spectacle  of  a  lone 
man  who  had  buried  his  all  and  was  left — 

*'  To  linger  whon  the  sun  of  life, 

Tho  beam  that  gilda  its  path,  is  gone— 
To  feci  the  aching  bosom's  strif*, 

When  Hope  is  dead  and  Love  lives  on." 

As  we  knelt  there,  I  spoke  to  the  man  about 
salvation  from  sin,  and  unfolded  God's  plan  of 
inheritance  and  reunions  in  the  future  life.  The 
Lord  gave  His  blessing,  and  I  left  him  next  day 
rejoicing  in  the  Christ  who  said :  "  I  am  the  resur- 
rection and  the  life;  he  that  believeth  in  Me, 
though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live." 

As  the  world  moves  forward,  and  man  pushes 
his  way  into  the  waste  places  of  the  earth,  that 
lonely  grave  will  be  forgotten.  Populous  cities 
will  be  built;  but  the  doctrine  the  mountains  then 
heard  shall  live  when  the  gloomy  youth  of 
Uruguay  is  forgotten. 


277 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 


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